Just Another Stone (Temporary Hiatus)
by XWolf26
Summary: "The Kindergarten was a horrible place. Many gems were created there, and many gems destroyed. One changed, And another tried to change... But freedom isn't for all of us. And some of us can't change... Well, at least that's what they told me. But that Steven kid... Heh, if he's willing to give me another chance, I'll take it." (Not too good at summaries. Rating due to paranoia.)
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so I've always liked Steven Universe. Well, at first I thought it was just going to be some stupid show about a little fat kid, but as it progressed, I saw it was a lot more than that. And I've always thought about making a fanfiction for it, so why not, y'know?**

 **Now, before I write anything, I'll just say that the character I added in is based off of the Tiger's Eye Matrix Gem. He's male because Gem's bodies aren't real, so they can manifest themselves as either gender.  
**

 **Well, let us see how this goes...**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

 _I just wanted to live freely...  
_

Footsteps rang through the empty, green hallway. Glowing lights illuminated the path.

 _I just wanted to get away from it all..._

The footsteps seemed to be coming from a man. He had light-dark skin, and seemed to have a thin beard. Almost a goat T, but with hair that went thinly up his cheeks as well.

He wore a cloak that covered his eyes and hair, but it was open enough to reveal his chest and arms. He wore a short sleeve white shirt, and his arms seemed somewhat muscular. An orange band of color wrapped around each bicep. He wore black jeans without shoes, and his feet seemed to have the same orange stripes.

 _But instead I'm here..._

He reached a door at the end of the hallway, and stood before it for a moment, taking a deep breath before pressing the button next to the door. It slide open, and he stepped into the room.

"... You..."

He sat in a strange floating chair that glowed green. "It's been awhile, Lapis."

The Ocean Gem's teeth grit. "Matrix..."

"So, how have you been?" He tilted his head to the side, and Lapis immediately jumped up, slamming her hands down on the table.

"YOU-"

In an instant, Matrix had pulled something from the covered part of his face, and was aiming it at Lapis' throat. It seemed to be an orange spear, with a glowing orange gem in the blade of it.

"Now Lapis, let's not do something we're going to regret." He said, leaning back in his chair calmly as Lapis growled, sitting back down.

"Now, why don't you just tell me about those... 'Crystal Gems'?" Matrix asked, tilting his head to the side in question as he put his spear away into wherever in his cloak that it came from.

Lapis' hands clenched into fists on her knees and she looked down. "Or what?"

"Lapis, listen to me." In the next instant, Matrix was leaning over the table, staring her in the eye. Something on the left side under his hood was glowing.

"There's no where to run. We don't _need_ you. You're just here to prevent some minor inconveniences. I could kill you right now, then I could drop your crushed gem before whatever you're trying to protect. Then I'll kill whatever it is, then I will come back to home world with an honest smile on my face."

"... Y-... You're a monster..!"

"It's what they made me to be, Miss Lazuli."

* * *

Matrix walked from the room, hands in his pockets. Lapis sat in the room behind him, her head down as the door closed.

"So, what'd she say?" A rather bulky, orange gem said. She was leaning against the wall next to the door.

"Three gems remain on Earth. they live on a small, coastal city, fittingly named "Beach City." The gems are Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl." Matrix answered without looking at Jasper, who nodded.

"What about Rose Quartz?" Jasper asked.

"Not a word of her."

"..." Jasper looked displeased with this information. "... Wait, you said Amethyst and Pearl, right?"

"Yes."

"Aren't those the ones you-"

"Yes."

"Well then..." Jasper grinned. "Looks like you're coming with me."

Matrix remained silent for a moment, his expression unchanging. "... Lame."

* * *

Matrix sat outside of the large hand shaped ship, staring at it in silence.

"So today's the day, huh?" A woman sat next to him. "I wish I could go with you."

"It's fine, sister." Matrix said, glancing at her. Her skin was orange with black strips, the opposite of Matrix's skin. "It won't take long, anyway. We'll go there, crush those gems and get back in just a few days."

"Matrix... I heard that those gems are still alive. You know, the ones from-"

"I _don't_ wanna talk about them, Tiger..."

"Matrix, you almost turned on us back at the-"

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!"

"... Fine, but I'm warning you, things won't go well if you try that again." Tiger stood, walking away.

 _Like I said, I never wanted this..._

"Hey, Matrix, hurry it up!" Jasper demanded, standing before the entrance of the ship.

"Yes, Ma'am..."

* * *

Peridot sat in the control room of the ship, pressing a button here and placing her hand in a floating screen there. Her chalk-like fingers moved to press certain buttons, spinning around and moving almost as if of their own accord.

"When do we land?" Matrix said from behind Peridot, making her jump.

"Where did you come from?!" She asked, clearly annoyed.

"You know full well where I came from." Matrix answered, his expression remaining the same.

"... Creep..." She muttered, turning back to the keyboards and other things. "We should land in just a few days. Did Lapis give any valuable information?" Peridot glanced at Matrix out of the corner of her eye.

"She gave enough." Matrix answered, walking from the room."Nothing about those 'Steven's' you mentioned, though."

"I'll be training if you need me." Matrix said as he walked towards the exit of the room.

"Why would I need him?" Peridot muttered to herself as Matrix left.

* * *

When Matrix reached the lower level of the ship, which seemed to be some sort of gym, he found the over sized orange gem already down there, beating a punching bag.

Just as the door closed behind Matrix, Jasper punched the bag with a punch strong enough to make it explode. "No challenge..." She turned, looking at Matrix.

"You! Spar with me. Now!" She demanded, and Matrix sighed.

"You're pushy today. Someone excited to meet the gems?" Matrix and Jasper stood ten feet apart, staring at one another.

"Piss off." Jasper said, glaring at Matrix. A grin cracked momentarily across Matrix's face.

The grin disappeared as Jasper rushed him, her feet thudding against the ground. She pulled back one fist, aiming to punch Matrix across the face.

Matrix jumped into the air, flipping and bringing one foot down towards Jasper's skull. She quickly blocked the attack with her forearm, grinning as she them threw her arm up, throwing Matrix through the air.

He landed on his hands, back flipping once as Jasper rushed him once again. He ran at her as well, before suddenly jumping to the side.

In that instant, he pulled the spear from under his hood once again, stabbing it into the floor to stop himself and spinning, kicking her in her lower back.

Jasper stumbled forward before turning around. "Ha! Is that al-" She was cut off as a fist hit her lower jaw, making her bite her tongue and her eyes widen.

Jasper growled in pain, spitting blood from her cut tongue. "Lucky shot."

"Whatever you wanna call it." Matrix said, standing in his fighting stance.

"What do you say we make this a little more interesting?" Jasper grinned, a crystalline helmet appearing on her head.

"Hmph." Matrix smirked, reaching into his hood and pulling out a longer spear than usual, holding it up and jumping back. "Let's go."

The two shot at one another, and their weapon's collided. Matrix winced slightly, attempting to hold Jasper back. She grinned, bringing her head up suddenly, making Matrix shoot forward before suddenly bringing it down, smashing the spear down!

Jasper reached forward instantly, grabbing Matrix by the face and grinning. "Gotcha you smug bastard." She pulled back one fist and threw an under hand punch into Matrix's chest, making his eyes widen.

Jasper felt him cough saliva into her hand, and her grin widened. "Aw, don't tell me you're down alre-"

Jasper's eyes widened in pain, and she looked down to see spear protruding from her shoulder. She roared in pain, dropping Matrix and yanking the spear from her shoulder, blood flying through the air.

"Aw, don't tell me you're down already." Matrix grinned, standing back up and pulling another spear from his hood.

Jasper snarled, raising her head into the air and bringing it down with crushing speed.

Matrix caught her by the helmet, wincing as he was forced to one knee. He growled, jumping up and kicking her in the neck, making her stumble to the side.

The two panted, circling one another. Matrix suddenly jumped into the air, throwing his spear at the large gem, who caught it jest before it hit her in the face.

"Ha! Nice try-" The moment Jasper moved the spear, she saw Matrix coming down at her.

"Son of a!-"

Matrix's foot slammed directly into her chin, throwing her to the ground! Jasper hit the ground, making the the room shake.

Matrix stood over her, aiming his spear at her. "That's game."

"HEY!"

The two turned to see Peridot standing in the entrance to the room. "What are you imbeciles doing?!"

"Sparing." Jasper stood, shoving Matrix as she stood. Matrix caught himself, putting his spear away in his hood.

"And what did you clods do to this room?!" Peridot said in shock, looking over the destroyed room.

"Just fly the ship." Jasper said, grumpily shoving by Peridot.

Peridot watching her walk away, and let Matrix walk by as well. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Sure, just wreck my ship and pretend that nothing happened. It's not like I have to clean this mess and fix the... Hole in the floor with a spear sticking out of it?!"

"MATRIX!"

* * *

Pearl sat at the edge of the beach, looking over the ocean. She looked down at the water, hearing footsteps behind her.

"Pearl?" A boy with a star on his shirt said, arching a brow at her. "Something wrong?"

"Hm? Oh! Steven!" She immediately put on a smile, stuffing something into her pocket. "Yes, yes. Everything is fine. I was just... Thinking of something."

"Thinking of what?" Steven asked curiously, sitting criss-cross next to pearl.

"Oh... Just someone I used to know." Pearl smiled lightly.

"Someone you used to know? Where they human? Was it another gem?" Steven jumped up. "Tell me about them!"

"It's not important, Steven. They're long gone now."

"Aw..." Steven sat down, disappointed. He looked up at the night sky, and his eyes narrowed. "Hey Pearl?"

"Yes Steven?"

Steven pointed up at the sky.

 **"Is that a green star?"**

* * *

 **Okay, that's the chapter. I know everything seems fast paced, but I kind of thought of this at a fast pace. So... Please review, Favorite, or Follow. I appreciate support along with constructive criticism.  
**

 **Note: This chapter is relatively short compared to other chapters that I will soon post.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	2. Chapter 2: Landing

**Well that was fast. I'm here because I immediately got a favorite and a follow from MrDemocracy, Sgt. Hat, karisay, and Randal435, who also left a review. I also got a lot of views like the instant the story was posted and got a follow from or-lan-do626 and Blackcat382. Maybe I finally did a good summary? Heh...**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

"So this is the place?" Matrix arched a brow at the city below the ship. He looked to the woman-shaped mountain.

 _Nothing_ _has changed..._

"I would think that you'd remember this place, Matrix." Jasper said in a mocking tone, standing behind Matrix.

"That was a long time ago, Jasper. Let. It. Go." Matrix glared at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Just make sure this doesn't stir up any old feelings, because sissy isn't here to save you this time." Jasper grinned, turning and walking away from Matrix as he watched beams of light shoot from the ground at the ship.

"Uh... Peridot, is that going to be a problem?" he glanced over at her, and she shook her head.

"No, of course not."

* * *

"If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs."

Four beams of light shot into the air at the giant green hand, but it simply lifted it's fingers, blocking the beams with it's palm.

"No effect." Garnet said, her hands clenching into fists with hidden frustration.

"What now?" Greg asked.

"We'll have to take them head on. The whole town might be in danger." Garnet said, watching the hand approach.

Steven reached for his phone, pulling it from his pocket and looking through his contacts. "I better make a call."

"Time for some... Political favors."

* * *

Matrix stood at the window, looking at the planet. He could see the city emptying. "Good. No humans will get in our way."

"What human could pose a threat to us?" Peridot asked, glancing over at Matrix.

"I just... Don't want them getting in the way..." Matrix said, his eyes lowering to the floor.

"Huh. And you told _me_ to let it go." Jasper smirked, her back facing Matrix's.

Matrix said nothing, but his hands clenched into fists.

 _"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"  
_

"Just... Shut up, Jasper.." Matrix turned, walking by her to the deck of the ship.

* * *

Opal pulled back her bow string, firing an arrow at the ship. It broke into other arrows, exploding on the ship. It burst from the smoke like nothing had happened.

"At least Steven in safe..." Garnet said, her shoulder's lowering.

"Hey guys!"

They recognized the voice immediately, and Opal defused in shock, landing on the beach as Pearl and Amethyst.

"You came back?!" Amethyst said in shock.

"What are you doing?! Get out of here!" Pearl yelled.

"But-"

"It's too late!" Garnet said over the noise of the ship landing. "Just stay behind us!"

Dust was thrown into the air as the ship landed, it's palm opening and a ball of green appearing over it.

The ball went back into the hand, revealing three gems.

Peridot on the right, Jasper in the middle, and Matrix on the left.

The Gem's eyes widened as they reached the third gem.

"M-Matrix..." Pearl stuttered, her eyes wide in shock as she stared at him. Amethyst had the same look.

"Well, it looks like they remember you." Jasper grinned over at Matrix, who said nothing. He just stared coldly at them.

Jasper pulled Lapis out from behind her. "This is there base?"

Lapis pulled herself from Jasper's grasp. "Yes..."

The four jumped onto the beach. "And neither of you saw Rose Quartz? Oh, what a shame. I'd hoped to meet her. I was looking forward to beating her into the ground!" Steven cringed at her words.

"But this is all that's left of her army? Some lost, defective Pearl, an overcooked Runt, and _this_ shameless display?" Jasper shook her head in disapproval.

"... What is that?" She said, looking at Steven.

"It calls itself 'The Steven'." Peridot answered.

"Don't hurt him! He's just a human! He's no threat to you!" Lapis protested.

"I know what a human is." Jasper glared at Lapis. "You don't need me for this. Just blast them with the ship."

"Ugh, fine." Peridot rolled her eyes, her fingers spreading into a screen. One lifted, drawing a wide circle on the screen.

The ship lifted into the air, making a gun, a hand-gun if you will, and aiming at the Crystal Gems.

"Steven! Get out of here!" Garnet demanded, watching the finger charge a ball of green energy.

"No!"

"I won't let you risk your life!"

"But this is my home! And you're all my family!"

"Firing." Peridot said blandly.

"I-I..."

A beam fired from the ship, racing towards the Crystal Gems!

"I'M A CRYSTAL GEM TOO!"

Steven pushed past the Gems, jumping up as a his shield appeared to a much larger scale, blocking the beam!

Jasper stopped, turning around in shock. "That shield! That symbol!"

The shield collapsed, disappearing. Steven collapsed as well.

"Now do you believe that I needed an escort?" Peridot glanced at Jasper.

"... I'll take it from here. Jasper, deal with Garnet and the kid." Matrix suddenly shot off the ground, reaching into his hood and pulling out his spear.

"Since when do you call the shots?!" Jasper said as Matrix shot at the Gems, but he was already gone.

"Here he comes!" Garnet said, watching Matrix shoot across the beach. She was preparing to defend, when Matrix suddenly jumped over her!

He landed behind her, kicking Pearl directly in the stomach and sending her flying back.

"Pearl!" Amethyst exclaimed, growling as she began pulling out her whip. In the next instant, Matrix was thrusting his spear forward. Amethyst darted her head to the side, her cheek being caught and sliced open.

"Ow!" Amethyst winced before jumping, coming down at Matrix with an attempt to kick him with both feet.

Matrix stuck his spear into the ground, pulling it back. When Amethyst reached him, he let it go, letting it fling forward and smash into her, throwing her back.

"Amethyst!" Steven exclaimed in shock, watching her fall back, landing on her back.

"Kid, I wouldn't be worrying about her."

Steven turned in fear, seeing Jasper looming over him. "Not when you should be so worried about yourself!"

"Leave him alone!" Garnet shot forward, pulling back one gauntleted fist and throwing it at Jasper, she caught it in one hand, grinning.

"Alright, let's play."

* * *

Matrix pulled his spear from the ground, raising it into the air as Amethyst tried desperately to stand.

"You go first." He was aiming for her gem as he thrust the spear downward at her, but was surprised as it came to a stop. He glanced over at Pearl, who had stopped his spear with her signature blade-spear.

"You..." Matrix's teeth grit as he stared at her.

"Still holding a grudge, I see..?" Pearl gulped, jumping back. The two circled one another.

 _"You... You did this!"_

Matrix snarled, rushing at her, his spear held high. The two collided, spear against spear.

Pearl held Matrix back for a moment, but he suddenly swung a foot under her, trying to sweep her legs out. Pearl jumped, back flipping and staring Matrix in the eyes as she did so.

 _"Matrix, please! Calm down!"_

Matrix stabbed at her, and she blocked with the side of her spear instead of the blade. There was a moment of stillness, and then the spear broke!

Matrix's spear shot through, and Pearl was forced to try to move as fast as she could. It wasn't fast enough.

"GAH!"

"Pearl!" Amethyst said, climbing to her feet. Her eyes widened.

Matrix was staring into Pearl's wide, pain filled eyes coldly, his spear going out her back.

"M-Matrix... I never meant to..."

Matrix pulled her close, grabbing her by the face, his hand over her mouth.

"I don't want your excuses."

Matrix placed a foot on her chest, his other hand on the spear as he yanked it from her body!

Pearl's scream of pain was muffled by Matrix's hand, and he dropped her, watching her explode into a single gem as she fell.

"P-Pearl..." Amethyst backed up slowly as Matrix slowly approached her, blood dripping from his spear.

He was grinning.

"Y-you're a monster..." Amethyst stuttered, holding her whip shakily.

"It's what they made me, no, what they made _us_ to be." Matrix lifted his spear.

"N-no... I'm not like you! I changed! And you could've changed too! Just let it go, Matrix! It was so long ago!" Amethyst's back hit a wall.

Matrix snarled, shooting at Amethyst. "You don't know what it's like!" Matrix roared.

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

All went silent, and everyone turned in the direction of the yell.

Matrix's spear was going through Amethyst's skull! Her eyes were wide in terror and pain as blood trickled down her forehead and face. The rock behind her was cracked and broken.

Matrix was panting heavily, staring into Amethyst's eyes as she suddenly exploded into a gem, falling into the sand.

"A-Amethyst..? Pearl..?" Steven said with wide eyes, staring at Matrix. He fell to his knees.

Matrix walked slowly towards him, leaving his spear stuck in the rock.

"Steven! Run!" Garnet turned from her grappling match with Jasper to look at Steven.

Suddenly, her eyes widened. A crack ran through her body, and she fell, breaking into pieces before exploding into two gems!

"Garnet!" Steven said, jumping to his feet. He looked as if he were about to run towards her, when a thud was heard.

Steven fell to the ground, Matrix standing over him. Matrix had karate chopped him in the back of the neck, knocking him out.

"Hm." Jasper smirked. "Nice work, Matrix. Maybe you've finally redeemed yourself."

"Whatever..." Matrix picked up the KO'd Steven, walking towards the ship. "Let's just go home."

Jasper nodded, picking up Garnet's gems along with Amethyst's and Pearl's.

* * *

Matrix dropped Steven in a small room, staring at him for a moment before stepping back, a wall of yellow energy making the fourth wall for the room.

"... You aren't Rose, are you? No, you're too... Human. Something about you..." Matrix stared at Steven.

 _"I understand, Matrix. Go, protect her."_

"I-..." Matrix shook his head, turning to walk away. "It's a good thing she wasn't there... I don't think I could have faced her after what I've one."

Matrix shook his head, walking slowly away from the cell.

* * *

Matrix watched as Jasper walked away from a cell holding an rather disgruntled Pearl. She had woken up, and retaken her physical form.

Matrix walked by Jasper, who stopped him, smirking.

"Y'know... I wouldn't mind you 'calling the shots' some place a bit more... Private." She grinned.

"Uh..." Matrix stood there, almost baffled. "I'll... Keep that in mind."

She walked by, and Matrix gagged, shivering. "That's a disturbing image..." He muttered.

"It certainly is, yes." Pearl said, smirking lightly as she looked at Matrix through the wall of yellow.

"Are you really in a position to be mocking me?" Matrix questioned, leaning against the wall next to her cell.

"Probably not, no. But as of right now, I'm in here, and you're out there. And as of right now, I know that you want me alive."

Suddenly, Matrix's spear was right next to Pearl's face, just outside of the yellow wall. Pearl jumped back, but after realizing that it couldn't get to her, she took a deep breath, regaining her composure.

"I don't want you alive. They want you alive. Keep that in mind."

"Then what are you here for? Are you going to kill me?"

"No. I want answers."

* * *

Singing rang across the ship, and Steven's eyes snapped open with a gasp. "Where..?"

He sat up, looking around. "Pearl?" The image of her being stabbed flashed before his eyes.

"Amethyst..?" Her impaled head flashed before his eyes.

An image of Garnet exploding into two gems flashed before his eyes, and he shot up.

 **"Garnet!"**

* * *

 **So that's the chapter! A bit darker than the last one, huh? It's rated T for a reason, guys. But that's why I threw in that one joke that you may or may not find disturbing. Anyways, thank you all for the explosive feedback! I never expected the first chapter to go this well. In fact I think this might be the best one of my stories has ever started. I hope that it stays that way, even though now that I've said that it probably won't.  
**

 **Anyway, please review, favorite, and follow!**

 **XWolf26, out**


	3. Chapter 3: JailBreak

**Okay, once again I received explosive feedback! A review from Randal435 and whitedagger11. Two new favorites from whitedager11 and darktyler27. Three follows from darktyler27, ansleycruse, and whitedager11.**

 **Now then,**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

"Matrix... You know I didn't mean to do it..." Pearl looked at the floor, her eyes distant.

"Don't give me that crap, Pearl!" Matrix said, his hands clenching into fists.

"Stop only hearing what you want to hear!"

"Stop lying to me!"

"I'm not!"

"Hate to interrupt the screaming match, but it's getting a little annoying." Peridot said, watching the two yell at one another through the yellow wall.

"... I was done here anyway.." Matrix turned bitterly, walking away from the cell.

"You can't keep letting this eat at you, Matrix! Matrix! Listen to me for once!" Pearl yelled as Matrix left. The only response she got was him hitting a button outside the entrance of the room, making a door close over it.

Pearl sighed, leaning against the wall and sliding down it onto the floor.

"I should hope they don't convince you to turn on us again." Peridot said, looking at a screen her fingers had created as she spoke.

"I don't wanna hear it, Peridot." Matrix said as they walked.

"Seems like you never want to listen to anyone these days, huh?" Peridot glanced up at Matrix, who shot a glare down at her.

Matrix turned, walking down a hallway to get away from Peridot.

Peridot rolled her eyes, sighing. "Men." She said disapprovingly.

* * *

"Let me out!" Ruby punched the yellow wall, zapping her hand and making her fall back.

She growled, rubbing her hand. She seemed to be panicking.

"Um... Hello..? Are you okay?"

Ruby looked up, noticing Steven standing on the other side of the yellow wall.

After a moment of trying to control her panic, she smashed her fist into the wall. "Oh, great! This is just perfect!"

"Uh... Do you need any help?" Steven arched a brow at her, and she shook her head.

"No- I mean... Don't look at me!" She curled up in a ball on the floor. "Just go away..."

"Wha..?" Steven back up slowly.

"Hey, wait!" Ruby shot up. "You're out! How did you get past the field?!"

* * *

Matrix walked slowly past the cells, and as he walked by one specific cell, he stopped. He backed up to look at the cell.

It was empty.

"... A bit more human than I thought, it would seem." Matrix said, staring at the empty cell.

"..." He looking in the direction of the singing.

 _"How do you know we can trust him?"_

 _"We can trust Amethyst, can't we?"_

 _"Barely..."_

 _"I say we give him a chance."_

 _"But Sapphire!"_

"... I guess I owe them something..." Matrix sighed, turning and walking towards the singing.

* * *

Sapphire stood in her cell, holding her hands at her chest as she sang, watching as Jasper walked towards the cell, slamming her fist on it.

"Stop singing!" She roared before turning to Peridot. "Rose Quartz takes priority. Go back to the bridge and set a course for Homeworld."

Steven was running towards the sound of the singing, not realizing the two enemy gems in that room.

Just before he ran out into the room, something grabbed him, picking him up and putting a hand over his mouth.

He looked up at who had grabbed him, and realized it was the same one who'd knocked him out.

He was about to scream, when he noticed Peridot walking by the hallway. He also noticed Matrix place a finger over his lips to signal a 'shh!'.

"Go to Earth, they said. It'll be easy, they said." Peridot grumbled as she walked by.

Matrix waited a moment before setting Steven down.

"Why did you-" Steven was cut off immediately.

"Look kid, let's just say I owe that one a solid. I planned on getting her out of the cage and leaving her after that, but saving the one who was going to let her out works too." Matrix said, turning to walk away.

Steven smiled lightly. "You're Matrix, right?"

Matrix stopped. "Yeah, that's me. I'm guessing the Gems didn't tell you much about me, huh?"

"Not a word." Steven shrugged.

"Well kid, I don't know who you are or why you have Rose's Gem, but I do know that you've got a limited time frame to get Sapphire out. Don't expect anymore help from me, I've done my part. Next time we meet, I'm on their side again." Matrix began walking away again.

"But... Why? You don't seem like one of them." Steven asked, and Matrix stopped again.

"What does that mean?"

"You... Aren't a bad guy! I know it!" Steven said confidently.

 _"You aren't a monster, Matrix. You aren't one of them."  
_

Matrix stood silent. "..." He began walking again.

"Good luck, kid."

* * *

"WHERE IS SHE?!" Jasper roared, and Matrix watched her stomp towards where the two gems had met.

"Well, there's my cue." He jumped back, turning to run. As he did, he could hear some sort of music playing in the back ground, and he could swear that he heard someone singing.

"I guess gems really are magical..." He said, as he ran reaching the control room just in time to catch Peridot being wrapped in Amethyst's whip.

"Alright ship, turn us arou-"

"Uh, Pearl, we have a problem..." Amethyst said, watching as Matrix entered the room.

"Ha! You guys are gonna get it now!" Peridot yelled, and Pearl stood from the chair.

Matrix remained silent, reaching into his hood and pulling out his spear before speaking. "Alright, final showdown time." For some reason, he didn't seem as serious as when they last fought.

"Amethyst, we've only got one shot at beating him." Pearl glanced at Amethyst, who looked slightly disturbed.

"Do we really have to..?"

"I'm not too thrilled about it either, but unless you wanna get stabbed again..." Pearl sighed.

They both glanced at Matrix, then nodded to one another.

They suddenly began dancing towards one another, and Matrix's eyes widened.

"No no no no no no no!" He shot at them, pulling back his spear. Just before he reached them, however, he found himself smashing into a pink shield!

He smirked, looking down at Steven. "Definitely human."

Matrix jumped back, watching as Pearl and Amethyst morphed into a ball of light before taking the form of the Giant Woman, Opal.

"Well, now that the playing field has been evened." Opal brought out both of their weapon's, fusing them together into a bow and arrow.

"Wait!" Steven raised his hand. "Matrix, you don't have to do this."

"Sorry kid, but you were wrong." Matrix grabbed his cloak, throwing it off and revealing his face.

Both of his eyes were wide, revealing that his left eye was a gem! "I am a monster!"

"Whoa..." Steven took a step back, and Matrix held his spear out to the side.

"Now let's go!"

Matrix shot towards Opal, who pulled back her bow string, firing an arrow at him. He held up his spear, cutting the arrow in two with its blade.

Matrix jumped into the air, coming down at her with his spear. Opal blocked with the bow, but the spear suddenly broke through, and Matrix landed in front of her, pulling his spear from the floor.

Blades suddenly came out of both ends of the bow, and Opal smirked, swinging them at Matrix. Matrix stuck his spear into the ground, jumping onto it and off of it, back flipping as Opal cut through the spear.

Matrix landed on his feet, reaching to his eye and pulling out another spear, this one having a blade at each edge.

"Alright, let's dance."

The two shot at one another, Opal's top arms holding the blades while her lower hands jabbed at Matrix.

Matrix dodged around the hands, blocking the blades as fast as he could before stabbing at one of Opal's feet.

She brought her foot back, and Matrix's spear stuck into the ground. He jumped up, spinning around the spear and kicking Opal in the stomach, throwing her back.

She slid, stopping at the other side of the room and forming her bow once again. She shot at Matrix multiple times, but he ran too fast, dodging around the arrows.

Matrix jumped into the air, pulling his spear back and preparing to stab Opal. One of Opal's arms reached up, grabbing Matrix by the ankle and pulling him down, throwing him onto the ground.

"Not so fast." Opal pulled back another arrow, aiming at the motionless Matrix.

Matrix spun just as the arrow was shot, dodging it and slamming his leg into Opal's sweeping her legs out!

Opal landed on all four of her hands, dropping her bow and flipping back on two hands, landing on her feet.

Matrix stuck his spear into the ground, tacking up a fighting position, as did Opal.

* * *

"This is so cool..." Steven sat next to Peridot, who sighed.

"If that idiot had just thought of untying me and fusing with me, we wouldn't have this problem." Peridot rolled her eyes. "But he's too stubborn for that anyway..."

"What do you mean?" Steven glanced at Peridot, who shook her head, now sitting upright to watch the fight.

"He hasn't fused with anyone since whatever happened to him back in the Gem Wars. My guess is that he's terrified that someone will see his memories." Peridot shrugged. "Whatever the case, it's stupid."

"Whoa..." Steven watched as Matrix and Opal dodged around the others hits before looking back to Peridot. "What happened to him?"

"Not a clue." Peridot shrugged. "Something to do with you're Crystal Clod buddies, though."

* * *

Matrix slammed his fist into Opal's face, and she slammed hers into his. The glared at one another before jumping back.

They got back into their fighting stances, circling one another once again. Matrix suddenly shot at Opal, jumping into the air with lightning speed and slamming his foot into her face, grinning as he kicked off of her, landing on his feet as she fell onto her back.

Matrix panted, pulling his spear from his eye once again. "It's been fun, but I don't have all day."

Matrix shot off the ground once again at Opal. "Fused or not, you're still nothing to me!"

Opal sat up as Matrix rushed her, and she grit her teeth. As Matrix pulled back his spear, she reached out, grabbing the spear and stopping it just before it hit her face!

"Nothing to you? Oh how you've changed, Matrix..." Opal shook her head, and Matrix's eyes widened, his teeth gritting as he pulled back his fist, slamming it into Opal's face!

Opal let the punch hit her, her head against the wall. She winced, her cheek bruised and bleeding as she turned back to look as Matrix snarled, pulling another spear from his eye and aiming for Opal's head once again.

Once again, the spear was caught, and Opal shook her head. "Matrix, you must let you're hatred go."

"I'm sick of your damn wisdom, Opal!" Matrix pulled his foot back, sending a kick into Opal's face. Once again, she took the hit.

"... That's it then." Opal rose, still holding Matrix and now suspending him in air. Matrix attempted to drop the spears, but Opal dropped the spears as well, catching him by the arms.

Opal's two free arms locked back, her hands forming fists. There was a moment of stillness, and Matrix spat in her face.

"Go to hell." Matrix snarled.

"I'll see you there." Opal gave a friendly smile, her fists shooting forward and slamming into Matrix's abdomen and chest again and again!

"Matrix! Really not the time for you to lose!" Peridot yelled over the sound of Matrix's yells of pain.

 _And for the first time in thousands of years, I was broken again..._

Opal suddenly threw Matrix into the air and pulled all four of her arms back. As Matrix fell, her arms shot forward, and she slammed her four palms into Matrix's chest!

Matrix was rag-dolled across the room, slamming into the ground before Peridot.

"It didn't have to end this way, Matrix." Opal said, watching as Matrix laid still for a moment.

Matrix suddenly twitched with life, trying to force himself to his feet.

 _"It didn't have to end this way, Rose!"_

"Don't... Talk to me like that... Don't pretend that you're her..." Matrix placed his hands on his knees, coughing blood onto the floor as he stood once again, slouching slightly as he panted.

Opal remained silent as her bow reappeared in her hands, and she pulled back the string.

"Go ahead..." Matrix opened his left eye as much as he could. "I... dare you.."

The sound of the arrow being released from it's string was followed by a solid thud.

Opal lowered her bow, watching Matrix fall to the ground, an arrow sticking from his chest as he landed on Peridot, who was disgruntled to say the least.

"I'm not going to kill you, Matrix." Opal suddenly defused, and both Pearl and Amethyst stood after the flash of light.

"After all, there's a kid sitting right there." Amethyst said with a light smirk.

"... You guys are a bunch of douche ba-" Matrix was cut off as he exploded into a single orange gem with one black stripe. The one that had been in his eye.

"Son of a-" Peridot was cut off as the ship suddenly shook, an explosion being heard.

"Well it looks like it's time for me to go." Peridot fell to her side, kicking Steven away and hitting her head on the ground, a green ball coming out around her and Matrix's gem.

"No you don't!" Amethyst jumped at the pod, but it fell through the floor, shooting at the Earth.

Steven helped Amethyst up as the ship shook, Garnet bursting into the room.

"Garnet!" They all said in unison.

"This ships going down!" She said.

"What about Lapis?!" Steven asked.

"There's no time!"

* * *

Peridot groaned, watching through the window of the escape pod as her ship fell towards Beach city.

"What a pain..." She glanced at the Gem sitting next to her.

 **"And now I've got you to deal with..."**

* * *

 **And that's chapter three! I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed. I apologize if I didn't mention you, but I'm kind of lazy and had already started the chapter and... Yeah I'm an ass. I'll mention you next time... Maybe.  
**

 **Anyway, Please review favorite and/or follow and don't hate me for not mentioning you!**

 **In another news, we broke 300 views on the second chapter. So that's pretty amazing. Definitely the best start any of my stories have had. So... Thank you all!**

 **XWolf26, out**


	4. Chapter 4: Relapse

**Thanks go to Randal435 for his review and to AnddrosvanDraco, BacknTater, BloodAllegiance, Darkliner1231, Darktyler27, Happyfish, MizoreShirayukiFan, QChronicles, The Imprisoned of Hell, Sanity07, Glitter Spires, The Rouge Slytherin, and Winter-Freak for their favorites and/or follows.**

 **Anywho, my disappearance's explanation is at the bottom of the chapter.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

 _ **What is that..?**  
_

 _"He's hurt!"_

 _"Hey! Wait! I think that's one of those Gem-things!"_

 _"Who cares?!"_

 _"It's dangerous!"_

 _"It could be a good Gem!"_

 _"The only good Gem is a dead Gem!"_

 _"You're wrong, Dad!"_

 _ **Who is that..?** _

_"Hey, I think he's waking up."_

 ** _It must be one of those Crystal Gems..._**

 _"Thea! Get away from that monster!"  
_

 ** _Monster..? Am... Am I a monster..?"_**

 _"He's not a monster!"_

 ** _Not... Not a monster..? But the Everyone thinks that I'm a... All of the Kindergarteners are monsters..._**

 _"Hey, don't mind my Father." Thea smiled, and his eyes opened. "He's just a little judgmental."  
_

 ** _Is that... A human? But what human would protect me..? Does she not know who I am?_**

 _"Are you okay?" The blonde haired woman over Matrix looked worried. "Can you talk?"  
_

 _"W... Why..?" Was all that Matrix could manage to stutter. "Why help me..?"_

 _The woman only smiled. "Good, you're alive."_

* * *

Peridot had managed to calm down, the shaking of re-entering the atmosphere over. She took a deep breath, knowing they would hit the ground soon.

Suddenly the an orange light illuminated the ship, and she looked with wide eyes at Matrix's glowing gem.

"... No." She told the gem, a white light coming from it. "No no!" It began growing, pushing on the walls of the pod.

"No no no no no!" The pod began to crack as Peridot was pushed against the wall, of the pod.

"Damn it Matrix!" The pod broke in two ten feet from the ground, and Peridot looked over to see Matrix reforming in his body just in time to see that he was about to hit the ground.

They both slammed into the ground, flipping and bouncing as they skidded across the grass.

"Ow." Peridot said, clearly irritated as she climbed to her feet, dusting herself off.

"Really? You really couldn't wait five more seconds?" Peridot glared at Matrix, who was sitting up, rubbing his head.

"Hey, for all I knew I was about to take a sledge hammer to the gem! I didn't know we were in an escape pod!" Matrix said, clearly just as annoyed.

"You should have guessed, idiot! We were right under one, and you were right next to me!"

"Maybe I just didn't think you were smart enough to think of that!"

"WHAT?!"

"I SAID THAT YOU'RE DUMB!"

Peridot looked as if she were about to explode, before she took a deep breath. "... Calm down, Calm down. You still need this idiot..."

Matrix sighed, sitting down. "So... Where are we?"

"Somewhere close to that 'Beach City', I can guess." Peridot said, sitting on a rock as well.

Matrix sighed, running a hand through his hair, his hood now down. "So we're stranded?"

"Yeah. Maybe if you weren't such an idiot, you would've just fused with me and beaten those two. Then we wouldn't be in this mess." Peridot said, rolling her eyes.

"I don't _do_ fusion. And I really don't wanna see you try to dance." Matrix crossed his arms, smirking.

Peridot growled, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I can't believe I'm stuck with you until I get someone to pick us up."

"..." Matrix stood, turning and walking away from Peridot.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Peridot jumped up after Matrix, jogging to catch up with him.

"If you think I'm going to sit her with you, you're wrong." Matrix said, flipping his hood up.

"Where are you gonna go?" Peridot stopped. "There's no where for you to go! I don't know what you had here so long ago, but that's gone now!"

"..." Matrix remained silent for a moment, not turning around. "Peridot..."

"What?"

"You're a bitch."

And with that, Matrix was off, walking away into the field.

* * *

"Steven..?"

Steven clicked the 'hang up' button, dropping his phone onto the sand.

"Well... That could have gone... A lot worse." Pearl said.

"Could have gone a lot better too." Garnet said, looking just as exhausted as the other gems. "Which reminds me, what happened to Matrix?"

It was then that it hit the gems. "... With Peridot." Pearl winced.

"Where's Peridot?"

"Somewhere loose on the planet..." Amethyst winced as well.

"... Well then." Garnet turned, walking towards the temple.

"She's... Not mad?" Pearl said, arching a brow at Garnet as she left.

"I think she's just too drained to be mad." Steven shrugged.

"Speaking of drained..." Amethyst proceeded to fall face first into the sand, passing out.

Steven laughed lightly, falling into the sand.

Pearl sighed, her shoulders lowering. "Come on you two, out of the sand. You don't know what's been in there."

She got no response.

Pearl groaned, shrugging before falling into the sand as well.

* * *

Matrix walked by a few trees, reaching a large hill over looking Beach city. He sat down, on it, sighing.

He leaned back, placing his hands behind his head and staring at the sky. Night was falling back into place, and the sun was setting in the distance.

Matrix's eyes closed slowly.

 _"It's beautiful up here, isn't it?"_

* * *

"So... Lapis and Jasper are somewhere at the bottom of the ocean." Connie said, looking out at the water.

"Yeah... And Peridot escaped in some kind of pod along with Matrix's gem when the ship was coming down. They could be anywhere." Steven sighed, skipping a rock over the water.

"That... Is _a lot_ to take in..." Connie stared at the ground, thinking.

"Are... You gonna be okay?" Steven looked slightly worried.

"Are _you_ gonna be okay? You're the one that's been through everything. The least that I can do is listen." Connie looked just as worried.

"I can't ask you to do that..." Steven looked down.

"I want to, Steven." Connie smiled. "I want to be part of your universe."

Steven returned the smile. "Thanks, Connie..."

"But there's just one thing that's bothering me." Connie looked back out to the ocean.

"What's that?"

"The way that you talked about Matrix." Connie looked as if she was thinking. "You talked about him like he wasn't a bad guy."

"He wasn't." Steven said confidently.

"But didn't he-"

"Destroy Pearl and Amethyst's bodies mercilessly? Yeah, he did do that." Steven nodded. "But something about him just seemed... Broken."

"Like... His gem was cracked?"

"What? No, no. Not that. He talked to the Gems like he knew them. And he said that he owed Sapphire a solid. The gems just kept telling him to let something go and to stop letting his hatred control him..."

"But why would he hate the gems if he was a good guy?"

"I have no idea. I asked Pearl, but she wouldn't tell me. All she said was 'I'll tell you about it another time.'" Steven sighed. "I feel like all the Gems ever do is keep secrets from me."

"Well, I'm sure they have a good reason." Connie attempted to defend the Gems.

"Yeah..." Steven sighed throwing another rock across the water.

They heard a car, and turned to see Greg's van pull up, And Greg opened the door. "Kiddo! There you are!"

* * *

Peridot grumbled to herself as she walked through the field, looking around for any signs of Matrix. "If he thinks I'm going to the Kindergarten without him he's dead wrong."

"Maybe I won't even tell the others that he's here with me. Maybe when I get picked up I'll just leave him here." Peridot shrugged, following the foot prints to a hill over looking Beach City.

"He wouldn't have went to..." Peridot groaned in frustration, looking out over the city. Matrix was no where to be seen, but judging from the indent spear in the ground with his cloak hanging in it, he'd been here.

"Oh good god he's gone AWOL again..." Peridot sighed in frustration before her eyes widened as she heard voices. She quickly jumped down, her boots sticking to the cliff-face.

"See? Wouldn't this be a great place for a rave?" Sour Cream asked, glancing at the others.

"This place is pretty cool." Buck said, staring seriously off into the distance.

"Well yeah, but how are you gonna set up your equipment out here?" Jenny crossed her arms, looking at Sour Cream with an arched brow.

"Well... You have a car, so all we need to do is use that to take all the equipment up here, and then we need a generator." Sour Cream said, nodding.

"And where are we gonna get a generator?" Jenny said, looking rather condescending.

"We could ask Guitar Dad. He's basically a hoarder." Buck said, pushing up his shades.

"And why would he let us borrow one?"

"Buck is his favorite student."

"He's his only student!"

"Exactly, win by default."

"Just because he's his only student doesn't mean that-"

"Hey guys, look at this." They all turned to see Buck looking at the spear in the ground with a cloak hanging on it.

"What's that?" Jenny wondered aloud, walking up to the cloak as it flapped in the wind.

 _Matrix you idiot... Why would you leave that here?!_ Peridot thought, keeping as quiet as possible as she waited for the humans to leave.

"I think that's from the guy I met here earlier." Sour Cream said, nodding as he stroked his imaginary beard.

"What guy?" Jenny arched a brow at Sour Cream, turning around to look at him.

"I came up here earlier to scope the scene. I found this guy wearing a cloak sleeping up here. I woke him up, and he was really chill." Sour Cream nodded.

 _Matrix you are KILLING ME!_ Peridot screamed internally.

"He was weird though. He spoke like he wasn't really here. I'd never seen him around before."

"Sounds like a drifter." Buck said, his hands in his pockets. "Cool guy."

"Yeah. I invited him to the rave, and he got really weird. He asked me if the gems were gonna be there." Sour Cream scratched his head. "I told him I didn't think so, and he took the flyer."

"Sounds like a druggy to me." Jenny rolled her eyes. "And what do you mean that he spoke like he wasn't really here?"

"He wasn't a druggy." Sour Cream shook his head. "And he just seemed really distant. Almost like Buck."

"Hm. I hope that guy shows up. We've gotta meet him now." Buck nodded.

"Wait, Sour Cream, you're already given out flyers?!" Jenny asked suddenly, looking back to Sour Cream, who nodded sheepishly.

"We don't even have the place ready yet!" Jenny groaned, running a hand through her hair. "... What's the date on the flyer?"

"Uh..."

"Sour Cream, what's the date?"

"Uuhh..."

"Sour Cream!"

"Tomorrow..."

"Oh my Gosh!" Jenny slammed her face into her hands.

"If it's tomorrow, we'd better get everything ready now." Buck said, turning to walk from the cliff.

Jenny sighed. "Yeah, I guess..."

"Thanks, guys." Sour Cream said as they left.

Peridot waited a moment for them to leave before sighing in relief. "Took them long enough."

She looked to the spear that the cloak hung from. "But I have to wonder... Why would Matrix leave this here?"

* * *

Matrix watched as the white haired human spoke to the half gem, a grin slowly forming on his face.

"I"m not sure I know what place you're talking about, Sour Cream..." Steven said, trying to think.

"I know you've been there before, Steven. You took us there after that crazy moss attacked us." Sour Cream explained.

"Hm... I don't know. You'll have to take me there again." Steven said, and Sour Cream thought for a moment.

"Alright, but you have to spread the rave flyers and help us set up." Sour Cream said.

"Sure!" Steven smiled, and they began walking towards the cliff over looking the city.

"All according to plan." He looked over towards the hill, his eyes narrowing as he saw a green figure standing on the hill.

"Unless of course Peridot shows up and ruins the whole thing."

* * *

"Well I might as well get rid of this before those Crystal Gems see it." Peridot reached for the spear, before suddenly feeling something collide with her, making her fall off the edge!

Peridot looked up to see Matrix over her, holding her by the wrist with one hand as he held his spear that was planted in the cliff-face with his other hand.

She looked as if she were about to really lay into him, when she heard two voices above him.

"Oh, yeah. I remember this place." Steven nodded. "Good place for a rave, but we should probably put some kind of fenc-" Steven stopped mid sentence, his eyes laying on the cloak.

"Sour Cream... Was that here last time you were here..?" Steven said, his eyes remaining on the cloak.

"That? Yeah, some guy I met here this morning left it, I think." Sour Cream nodded. "Why?"

"Did this guy have a gem eye, by any chance?!" Steven turned, invading Sour Cream's personal space.

"Well... Now that you mention it, I never saw his eyes. That cloak covered them." Sour Cream stroked his imaginary beard. "Why? You know him?"

"YES!" Steven turned, running away from the edge. "I've gotta tell the gems!" Steven turned, waving as he ran. "See you later, Sour Cream!"

"Hey! Steven! Wait!" Sour Cream chased after him.

After a moment of silence, Matrix threw Peridot over the side, jumping up after her. "What are you doing?!" He asked.

"What am I doing?! What the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to get us found by those Crystal Clods?!" Peridot exploded.

Matrix placed his spear back in his eye before rolling them. "No, I'm distracting them."

"Distracting them for what? Our escape?" Peridot arched a brow at Matrix.

"You can do what you want, I've got something to retrieve." Matrix said, beginning to walk away.

"What could possibly be worth it?" Peridot asked.

"... It's not important." Matrix continued to walk away.

"You're getting all weird and distant again, so I'm just going to guess that it has something to do with your past and drop it." Peridot rolled her eyes. "Just meet me outside the city when you're done."

Matrix turned, looking at the temple at the beach.

 **"Thanks, Peridot."**

* * *

 **Okay, so I know it took me a lot longer than all the other chapters took, but in my defense, I had only thoroughly thought up to Matrix esclaping from Peridot's ship with Peridot. But now that I've had some time to think, I've got the next couple chapters, or at least the next chapter's main idea thought up.  
**

 **So please review, favorite, or follow, and I hope to see you all in the feedback and the next chapter.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	5. Chapter 5: Story for Steven (Part 1)

**Okay, sorry it took me a little while to update, but I ran a little low on muse for a little bit. that was until I read through the story again, got hype with new ideas, and prepared to type. As I was about to start listing the people that reviewed, I saw I had two new reviews from TennisCat. And the hype added from the review was just icing on the cake. Glad to see you're so enthused for the story, TennisCat.**

 **Now, I'm kind of getting so many favorites and follows that I can't keep track of anymore, so unfortunately I'm going to stop doing thanks for those. Sorry guys, but I really can't keep track of it anymore. I'll still be mentioning people for reviews, and speaking of...**

 **Thank you, Randal435, TennisCat, and bigfan. Bigfan, I appreciate the advice, and I'll try to put in more Garnet. I just don't put her in as much because... Well, she kind of gets a lot of screen time in the show. And I mean** ** _a lot_** **of screen time. Like, honestly, Pearl and Amethyst are just kind of useless when it comes to fighting. It makes her to be the** ** _Goku_** **of the show while those two are like** ** _Yamcha_** **and** ** _Chiaotzu._** **Pardon the** ** _DBZ_** **reference.**

 **Now then,**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

"So are you sure he'll be showing up at this 'rave'?" Pearl asked Sour Cream anxiously.

"Uh... Yeah, I think he will." Sour Cream nodded slowly. "Why?"

"This is good." Garnet said. "We can ambush him at the party."

"Whoa, whoa! Ambush?!" Sour Cream asked in shock.

"I don't really think we need to attack him, do we?" Steven almost pleaded.

"Sorry, Steven," Garnet knelt before the star child, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But he's a danger to the people now. We have to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone."

Steven looked down, sighing. "Can... Can you guys just please tell me..." Steven looked up at Garnet. "What happened? With Matrix, I mean..."

He could feel Garnet's hand tighten on his shoulder. "It's... Not something we like to talk about, Steven... We'll tell you about it some other time."

Steven sighed. "That's the only answer I ever get from you guys..."

* * *

Steven sat at the window, looking out over the beach. Night had fallen, and he could see lights flash in the sky where Sour Cream's rave was.

"Do you see him, Steven?" A voice over a walky talky was heard.

"No, not yet." Steven said, sighing lightly. "Why do you guys think he would show up here?"

"Well, he deliberately put his spear here. It could have been to distract us so he could get into the temple and do who knows what." Pearl's voice spoke.

"I think he'll just show up at the Rave. Sour Cream's pretty good, y'know." Steven smiled lightly.

"Uh... Whatever you say, Steven." Pearl said, rolling her eyes on the other side of the walky talky.

* * *

 _"Why are you helping me?" Matrix asked the blonde woman, laying back as she looked over his cracked eye._

 _"Why do you keep asking that?" Thea arched a brow at him._

 _"Why don't you ever answer it?" Matrix returned the question-answer._

 _Thea smiled, putting an eye patch over Matrix's left eye. "Well, why shouldn't I help you?"_

 _"Because my race is currently trying to exterminate yours, for one." Matrix attempted to sit up, but Thea pushed him back on the bed._

 _"Your race is also trying to save mine." Thea said, but Matrix shook his head._

 _"Well... I'm not on their side." Matrix looked away, crossing his arms._

 _"Well maybe while I'm fixing you up you'll change your mind." Thea smiled convincingly, but Matrix shook his head once again._

 _"You can't fix my gem... Only a few select healing gems can heal a cracked gem... I'm going to die..." Matrix stared emptily at the ceiling._

 _"With that attitude." Thea said, rolling her eyes. "What if I find one of these 'healing gems'?"_

 _"Why would you do that for me?"_

 _"Because we're friends."_

 _"Since when?!"_

 _"Since now. Because I said so."_

* * *

Matrix smiled lightly, looking over the temple. He took a deep breath, and his smile faded. He was standing at the head of the eight armed statue.

He glanced over at the flashing lights in the distance. "Sorry, Sour Cream. I have to take a rain check on the rave."

Matrix jumped, flipping in air twice before landing on the roof of Steven's house, making a loud thud.

* * *

"No, guys. I still haven't seen anything. What about y-" Steven was cut off by the loud thud on his roof.

"What was that?" He asked himself, letting go of the button on the walky talky.

"Steven? Steven, you okay?" Amethyst asked through the walky talky.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. I'll uh... Be back in a minute." Steven put down the walky talky, standing and walking towards the door.

Just before he could open it, however, it opened on its own, and he jumped, taking cover behind his couch.

"Where could it be..?" Matrix asked himself, walking past Steven.

"Ugh... This is going to be like finding a needle in a hay stack..." Matrix said, Steven watching him with wide eyes.

"Uh... Watcha looking for..?" Steven said, peeking out from behind the couch. Matrix turned around quickly, reaching into his hood before realizing who it was.

"Oh, it's just you." Matrix sighed in relief.

"Uh... Yeah, just Steven. What are you looking for?" Steven stepped out from behind the couch.

"It's not important, kid." Matrix turned, looking at the counter before his eyes reached the door with the five gems in it.

"Huh..." Matrix walked up to it, looking over it. "My guess is it's in here."

"If it's a gem thing, probably." Steven walked up behind Matrix, looking at the door. "If you told me what it was, I could help you."

"Shouldn't you be like... I don't know, trying to stop me? Or getting your friends or something?" Matrix arched a brow at Steven, who shrugged.

"I don't think you're gonna hurt me." Steven said, grinning.

 _"Aw come on Matrix, you wouldn't hurt me, would ya?"_

"You certainly are optimistic." Matrix said, poking the door. Matrix growled at the door, pushing on it with one hand. "How do you open this thing?"

"You have to be a Crystal Gem. I could open it for you, if you told me what you were looking for." Steven said. "Depending on what it is, of course."

"..." Matrix groaned, rolling his eyes. "Fine. It's a rock that shows an image."

"An image rock, you say?" Steven stroked his imaginary beard. "What's on it?"

"Nothing of your concern." Matrix rolled his eyes. "Now open the door."

"Well even if we do open it I don't think we'll find it..."

"We have to!" Matrix suddenly turned to Steven, his eyes wide in desperation. "I mean... Uh... We aren't giving up. That's... That's what I meant."

"Hm... Wait! I have an idea!" Steven ran to the door, lifting up his shirt to show it his gem in his belly button.

"Door! Open!"

There was a moment of silence, and nothing happened. Matrix arched a brow at Steven. "Uh... Why didn't it-"

The door suddenly made a pink rose, opening in that shape to a room of clouds.

Matrix had jumped back in surprise, grabbing Steven and holding him behind him as he pulled his spear out, aiming it at the door.

"Uuuh..." Steven arched a brow at him, and Matrix blushed in embarrassment.

"I... Uh... Thought it was one of the gems!"

"And you kept me behind you why?"

"As a hostage, of course..."

"Erm... Alright." The two walked into the room, Steven jumping right in and Matrix walking in slowly, keeping his spear out.

"Okay, room." Steven cracked his knuckles. "Show me the location of what Matrix is looking for!"

The clouds suddenly began to form into something, showing what seemed to be the pocket of Pearl's pants.

"Why would she have it?" Steven wondered aloud as Matrix's hands clenched into fists.

"Of course... Of course she'd have it with her!" Matrix snarled, turning back towards the door and walking out of it, Steven jumping out after him.

"H-hey! Wait up!"

* * *

"Steven sure is taking awhile to respond..." Pearl thought aloud, holding the walky talky. "Steven? Steven are you there?" She asked the walky talky.

When no response was given, a bit of panic crept into Pearl's voice. "I-I'm just going to go check up on Steven. I'll be back momentarily."

"Pearl wait! You can't just leave! What if Matrix shows up?" Amethyst stopped Pearl.

"What if he's at the temple?" Pearl said almost frantically.

* * *

Matrix stomped down the beach towards the flashing lights coming from the cliff. "Wait!" Steven grabbed him by the cloak, trying to stop him. "What are you going to do?"

Matrix stopped, not turning to look at Steven. "I'm going to get my Looking Gem back..." His hands clenched into fists. "No matter what it takes."

"Steven! What are you doing?! Get away from him!"

They both turned to see Pearl on the deck of Steven's home.

"Pearl!" Steven exclaimed happily. "Matrix was just-"

"Give it back." Matrix interrupted, reaching into his cloak and pulling out his spear. "Now."

"Give what back?" Pearl jumped from the deck, landing before Matrix. They stood about ten feet apart.

"You know exactly what." Matrix's grip on the spear tightened. "Give me back my Looking Gem."

"Your Looking Gem?" Pearl arched a brow at Matrix. "You mean... You aren't here to pop all the bubbles or kill us or destroy the city or something..?"

"See Pearl I told you he wasn't a bad guy!" Steven ran up to Matrix, who shot him a glare.

"Knock it off, kid." Matrix pushed past Steven, walking towards Pearl. "Give me the Looking Gem, or this time I won't just put you back in your gem."

"But..." Pearl pulled the cell phone sized blue gem from her pocket, looking into it. "It holds so many memories..."

"Why do you think I need it?" Matrix held out his hand. "Return it to me, now."

"Pearl, just give him the stone." Steven pleaded.

"But... Why do you want it so bad?" Pearl arched a brow at Matrix.

"You know exactly why!" Matrix suddenly snapped at her. "You know what that Gem holds..."

"What does it hold? Someone tell me something!" Steven's voice was ignored.

"I haven't seen her in a long time, Pearl... I can barely remember what she looks like nowadays..." Matrix's eyes were distant as he looked to the sand.

Steven looked as though he would ask 'who', but then he looked at Matrix's face, and he quickly went silent.

"... Fine. I have my own anyway... I don't need memories of you..." Pearl said begrudgingly, tossing the stone at Matrix. Matrix caught it with ease, smiling lightly as he looked at the gem that was currently blank.

"..." Matrix stared at the gem for a moment, turning to walk off the beach. He stopped after a moment of thought. "... Thanks, Pearl."

Pearl was clearly surprised by his words, shocking her into silence as Steven ran after Matrix.

"Hey, Matrix! Wait!" Steven ran in front of Matrix, forcing him to stop.

"What is it, kid?" Matrix asked, looking from the stone to Steven.

"I helped you find that, so now you've gotta tell me!" Steven jumped up and down eagerly. "What happened so long ago? What did Pearl do?"

"Steven, no!" Pearl said, quickly running up to Steven. "You aren't ready for that story!" She grabbed Steven, putting him behind her.

"What... Happened..?" Matrix was strangely silent.

"Matrix, please. He's much too young for that story." Pearl pleaded, kneeling next to Steven.

Matrix was silent for another moment, before laughter could be heard. "Really? Is that why? Is that why you keep it from him?" Steven turned to look at the two, laughing as he did so. His laughter wasn't exactly healthy.

"It's not because you're too young, kid. It's because this one doesn't _want_ you to know!" Matrix grinned as he spoke.

"Matrix, stop it!"

"No no, Steven should know." Matrix's grin remained as Pearl stood.

"Pearl, why don't you want me to know?" Steven asked, standing slowly.

"... I made a mistake, Steven..." Pearl looked away, her hands clenching into fists.

"But what did you do?" Steven asked eagerly.

"What did she do? She took something very important from me..." Matrix's hands clenched into fists, and he looked at the gem in his hand.

"Show her to me... Show me Thea." Matrix clearly struggled to even say the name, and Pearl cringed when it was said.

Matrix smiled as an image of Thea appeared on the Looking Gem. He held it out to Steven, who's eyes widened slightly.

"Who is that?" He looked to Pearl. "Is that another Gem?"

"No, that's a human. A human from so long ago..." Matrix shook his head, his grin remaining. Something about him seemed... Broken.

"Well... What does she have to do with this?" Steven asked, looking up at Matrix.

"What does she have to do with this?! She has everything to do with this!" Matrix suddenly exploded, making Steven flinch.

"She was just an innocent human..." Matrix's hands clenched into fists. "She tried to protect me..."

Matrix pointed at Pearl, his eyes showing under the hood.

 **"AND SHE STRUCK HER DOWN!"**

* * *

 **And that, ladies and gentlemen, is chapter five, Story For Steven. Part 1 of 2.**

 **Probably.**

 **Depending on how my train of thought goes, this could be more than two parts. But I doubt it. Sorry for the short chapter, but to make it up to you guys, I'll update a lot faster this time.**

 **Hopefully.**

 **Unfortunately, in my experience I've learned that I can be rather flaky with these update promises. So uh... Sorry if I take longer than expected to update.**

 **In other news, on chapter four, we broke 1,000 views. So that's pretty shocking to me, considering I usually don't get that many views until like at least the tenth chapter.**

 **So thanks, and I hope to see you all in the feedback and the next chapter!**

 **XWolf26, out**


	6. Chapter 6: Story for Steven (Part 2)

**Thanks go to TheLadyShadows and TennisCat for their reviews.  
**

 **Note: I gave Peridot a weapon because the show has yet to, and she needed one so... Yeah.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

"I think it's safe to say Matrix won't be showing up here." Garnet said, watching as the lights stopped flashing and the music died down. People slowly began leaving, and Garnet and Amethyst kept their places at the edge, making sure no one fell.

"Do you think he's at the temple?" Amethyst glanced up at Garnet, who thought for a moment.

"Well, we still haven't heard from Steven or Pearl. Once everyone's cleared out we'll get back to the temple to check on them." Garnet said, crossing her arms as the area was just about empty.

* * *

"Pearl... What is he talking about..?" Steven looked at Pearl, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"S-Steven, she tried to attack your mother, I-I... I had no choice..." Pearl sounded desperate.

"She was just a human! She didn't even have a weapon!" Matrix said, his hands clenched into fists.

"B-but..."

"She was just trying to protect me, damn it!"

"WHY IS IT MY FAULT THAT SOME IDIOTIC HUMAN GOT IN MY WAY?!" Pearl suddenly exploded, and all went silent.

Steven stared at her with eyes wide in shock, and Matrix's pupils seemed to shrink in what could only be rage.

"How... How dare you..?" Matrix asked, and Pearl's eyes widened as she realized what she said.

"I-... I didn't mean..."

Matrix roared in rage, firing off the ground at her while reaching into his hood, pulling out his spear.

Pearl didn't have time to grab her spear, and Matrix reached her almost immediately, pulling back his spear.

Just as Matrix tried to stab her, however, he felt something tug at his spear, keeping it back.

Pearl had fallen back in shock, and Matrix turned to see Amethyst's whip holding his spear back, Amethyst standing next to Steven as she held the whip with both hands.

Matrix snarled, yanking on the spear and making Amethyst stumble forward. "You disgusting runt!"

He heard something above him, and looked up to see Garnet coming down at him with one gauntleted fist pulled back.

Matrix growled, letting go of the spear and jumping back. The sand where he had once stood exploded into the sky as Garnet collided with it.

"Oh goody, the whole gang of misfits is here now!" Matrix snarled, pulling a double edged spear from his eye. He grabbed onto his hood, throwing it back as to see better, once again revealing his entire face.

"Matrix! Stop!" Steven ran up to Matrix, grabbing onto his pant leg.

"H-hey! Knock it off!" Matrix tried to pull his leg free, but Steven wouldn't let go.

"No! Not until you say you won't fight!" Steven said, holding on tight as he was shaken.

"Why do you care?! What Gem would bother endangering themselves for me?!"

"I'm not just any gem!" Steven said, feeling his grip slipping. He felt himself being thrown off, launching through the air. His bubble appeared around him, protecting him from the collision with the ground before popping.

"I'm half human!"

Matrix went silent. "B-but... How can that be..? Gems and humans can't..."

"Yes they can! Rose Quartz is my mom!" Steven said, and Matrix was clearly shocked.

"But that doesn't..." While Matrix was baffled, Garnet shot forward, pulling her fist back and throwing it forward as she reached Matrix.

Steven's eyes were wide in shock as Matrix was hit across the face, being sent flying off the beach!

The Tigers Eye gem skidded over the water, flipping and skipping.

"Garnet! Why did you do that?!" Steven asked frantically, watching as Matrix seemed to be sinking into the water.

"He attacked you and Pearl. Steven, he was a threat to us." Garnet explained. "Look, I know you see good in him, but... He's too far gone now."

"What do you mean _was_ a threat?!"

The Crystal Gems all looked up in unison as Matrix shot from the water, his spear appearing in hand as gravity yanked him towards the beach.

Matrix threw his spear with shocking speed at the fused leader, watching as she jumped to the side.

Right where Matrix was landing.

Matrix slammed his foot into her cheek, throwing her into the sand with shocking force. "Who's next?!" He looked at the other two gems.

Before Pearl or Amethyst could attack, however, a hand shot from the sand, grabbing Matrix by the foot.

Garnet shot from the sand, pulling Matrix up with her. She reached about twenty feet in the air before pulling her arm back, whipping Matrix at the ground with shocking speed.

Matrix flew quickly through the sky, unable to catch himself. He pulled another spear from his eye, throwing it at Garnet, who could not dodge from the air.

At the same time Matrix exploded into the sand, the spear pierced the fusion, and the gems watched in shock as she fell.

Garnet hit the ground as Matrix climbed from the crater he'd been thrown into, stumbling and panting.

Garnet pulled the spear from her shoulder, panting as well as she broke it over her knee, glaring at Matrix.

"Still feel good about giving me that second chance now, you two?!" Matrix asked the fusion, and behind her shades, Garnet's eyes widened.

"Matrix..."

Suddenly, Matrix was wrapped in an amethyst studded whip, snarling as he attempted to pull himself free.

Pearl came down from the sky, her spear raised high.

She was aiming for Matrix's eye.

Just before Pearl reached Matrix, however, she was blasted by a green bolt of energy, being thrown to the side.

"I leave you alone for ten seconds and _this_ happens?" Peridot said, holding up her left arm. Her fingers spun around where her wrist would be if she had a hand, and it seemed as though her arm had opened to reveal some sort of energy cannon barrel.

"Peridot?" They all said in unison, and Peridot arched a brow at them.

"What? You didn't think I'd just walk around without a body guard, did you?" She asked, watching as Amethyst let go of Matrix, running at her.

Peridot's eyes widened, and she turned, beginning to run from the short Gem.

Before Amethyst could reach Peridot, however, her feet were swiped out, and Matrix pulled his leg up, kicking her in the face and sending her flying back.

"Well at least you got one cool moment before going back to being cowardly." Matrix smirked at Peridot, who rolled her eyes.

"Can't I just get a thanks?" Peridot shot Matrix a glare, but Matrix only smirked lightly.

"I had everything under control."

"Yeah, right. If I'd showed up a moment later you'd be split in two."

"I could have dodged it."

Peridot groaned. "Stubborn male..." She shook her head. They backed up as the gems approached, Steven watching them.

"So uh... Mind getting me out of this?" Matrix arched a brow at Peridot, who had her cannon arm aimed at the gems.

"I'm a little preoccupied." She said, keeping her eyes on the gems.

"You honestly think the pea shooter can hold them back?"

"Are you insulting me?"

"I'm insulting your weapon of choice."

"At least I don't have some barbaric stick."

"Ah ah, an effective barbaric stick."

Peridot growled lightly, four of her fingers from her other hand going and grabbing onto the handle of the whip, unraveling it from Matrix's body.

"Thanks." Matrix said as the whip fell to the ground.

"So you wanna make a break for it now or..?"

"I don't think we're gonna get too far."

"Fair assumption." Peridot said, looking up at the sky. "Huh... How far up do you think you can jump?"

"I don't know. Twenty feet at best." Matrix said, glancing at Peridot. "Why?"

Peridot suddenly grabbed Matrix by the hand, making his eyes widen. "Jump as high as you can!" She ordered.

Matrix shrugged off his initial shock, jumping into the air as far up as he could go. They reached about twenty two feet, and Peridot held up her other hand.

Her fingers spun like that of a helicopter blade, and the two were kept in the air, floating back towards the city.

"Their getting away!" Garnet ran after them, Pearl and Amethyst soon following. Steven followed them, struggling to keep up.

"Stop!" Garnet demanded, jumping into the air. She almost reached the two, but Matrix pulled back one foot, smashing it onto her face and making her fall back.

"Matrix! I still think you can change!" Steven called as they flew into the distance.

"What's that kid talking about?" Peridot glanced as Matrix, who shrugged nervously.

"I uh... Have no idea." Peridot looked as if she was about to question Matrix, so he quickly thought of a way out.

"You know, you could've just grabbed my wrist or forearm." Matrix said, smirking as Peridot looked flustered.

"W-well I needed to have a good grip! Your hand was he best option."

"Suuure."

"Just because Jasper hit on you doesn't mean every gem is into you, Matrix."

"You saw that?!"

"My ship had security camera's, idiot."

Matrix cringed, looking down at the city that they passed over. He saw some somewhat over weight teenage human taking pictures of them, chanting something like 'Keep Beach City Weird'.

"So did you get what you needed?" Peridot asked, and Matrix quickly remembered what he'd gotten.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. So where are we going?" Matrix arched a brow at Peridot.

"Uh... You aren't gonna like it."

"Peridot, where are you taking me?"

"... The Kindergarten..."

"..." Matrix considered letting go of Peridot's hand, but decided against it. "Why there?"

"It's classified."

"..." Matrix groaned, rolling his eyes. "An order from Yellow Diamond?"

"A direct order. I'm not to tell anyone of what I'm doing. It's strictly classified."

"Not even your body guard?"

"Like I can trust you with that information. I can barely trust you to stay with me for ten minutes."

"It isn't my fault that you are the literal worst company to have."

"You aren't exactly pleasant to have to deal with either."

* * *

"They got away again..." Amethyst sighed, sitting on a rock at the beach and holding her head in her hands.

"We had them right in the palms of our hands..." Garnet frowned, pulling back one fist and slamming it into a boulder. There was a moment of stillness before the boulder broke into multiple shards of rock.

Pearl said nothing, sitting against a rock with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her head was buried in them.

"Uh Pearl... You alright?" Amethyst arched a brow at Pearl. "What happened before we got here?"

"He told Steven..." Pearl said after a moment of silence.

"Told him what?"

"He told him what I did... What happened to Thea..."

The Gem's eyes widened, both Garnet and Amethyst looking to Steven, who was now sitting on the deck of his home, talking to someone on his phone. Presumably Connie.

* * *

"So what happened with the whole plan to ambush Matrix?" Connie asked Steven over the phone.

Steven sighed. "I can't talk about it over the phone... Can you come over tomorrow? I feel like I need to talk to you in person..."

"Uh... Alright. Must have been pretty big, huh?"

"Yeah... Yeah it was."

* * *

"Okay, I'm done carrying you... You're a lot heavier than you'd think." Peridot said, floating down towards a small island, having three palm trees on it.

"I doubt they'll find us here." Peridot dropped Matrix a few feet above the sand, watching him land on his feet as she sighed in relief, floating down onto the ground, landing on her feet before walking under one of the trees, collapsing.

"Uh..? Peridot?" The only response Matrix got was snoring, and he laughed lightly, sitting against the tree next to her, closing his eyes.

* * *

"Matrix! Matrix wake up!"

 _Huh..? What is that..?_

"Matrix if I have to fight this thing alone I am going to castrate you!"

 _Oh good lord it's Peridot... What does she want?_

"MATRIX!"

"WHAT?!" Matrix's eyes shot open.

Just before Peridot spoke, she was smacked aside by a red tentacle. Matrix's eyes widened as he quickly jumped into the air, a sharp tentacle shooting through the ground where he'd laid a moment ago.

He landed on the tree, looking into the water to see a shadowed figure under the island, tentacles shooting from the water. He looked over to see Peridot shooting a tentacle away, turning to shoot the one creeping up behind her.

"Huh..." He looked up, seeing a tentacle shooting at him. "Ah crap!" Matrix jumped into the air, watching as the tentacle sliced through the tree he had stood on. Matrix pulled his spear from his eye, jabbing it through the red tentacle.

A screech sounded from underwater, and the tentacle flailed wildly. Matrix could hear Peridot laughing as she watched him be thrown around.

J-ust! S-top! Th-is t-hing!" Matrix said as he was waved violently back and forth.

Peridot held up her arm cannon while laughing, firing a beam at the tentacle. The tentacle was hit directly, and the beam sliced through it, making it fall to the ground.

Matrix let go of the tentacle, jumping off and landing on his feet, stumbling slightly. "Ugh..." He was green in the face, and his cheeks puffed out as he held a hand over his mouth.

"Uh... You alright?" The response that Peridot got was the sound of violent vomiting.

"What... The hell... Is that..?" Matrix wiped his mouth, standing back up to look at the flailing tentacles.

"I think it's a corrupted gem." Peridot said, keeping her arm cannon aimed at the flailing tentacles.

"Or a Kraken." Matrix said, pulling another spear from his eye as he stood next to Peridot.

"Don't be stupid, those things are long extinct." Peridot watched as the tentacles seemed to recite into the water.

"Alright, I think it's gon-" Matrix was cut off as a tentacle came from the water behind him, smacking him aside and grabbing Peridot, yanking her into the air!

"Ow..." Matrix muttered, rubbing his head. He looked up, hearing someone yell.

"Put me down you clod!" Peridot demanded, kicking her feet and struggling as much as she could. Her arms were kept down under the tentacle, so she couldn't blast it.

"Ah crap..." Matrix muttered, picking his spear up and running at the tentacle.

"Put her down ya damn fetish monster!" Matrix jumped into the air, pulling his spear back and throwing it, watching it pierce the tentacle.

The water shook with another screech of pain as Matrix landed on the tentacle, grabbing hold of it. It shook violently, throwing him off and into the water.

Matrix was thrown into the water, sinking quickly as he attempted to stop his rocketing towards the bottom. He managed to come to a stop, looking at the water surface before getting another idea.

He looked to the side, and his eyes widened. To his side, about ten yards away, a gigantic squid floated, it's tentacles shooting above the surface. It had a blue beak, and a red gem served as it's one eye.

"Hey! Ugly!" Matrix called through the water, watching as the one eye turned to him. Matrix suddenly shot through the water, his body shape shifting into some sort of great white shark.

The tentacles slammed back into the water, dragging Peridot down with them as they attempted to defend the face.

Matrix suddenly shifted out of the form as the tentacles attempted to grab him, using the momentum he'd already gained to shoot at the Squid, pulling his spear out and holding it in front of him.

He smashed into the tentacle, ramming his spear right under it's eye, watching it screech it pain and be forced back slightly. A tentacle quickly grabbed Matrix, pulling him off of it's face and throwing him through the water.

Matrix shot through the water, slamming into the tentacle that held Peridot and groaning, his eyes tired.

"Hey!" The water muffled Peridot's voice, but the anger in it was still clear.

"Oh, hey." Matrix turned to look at Peridot, sighing as he pulled yet another spear from his eye.

The tentacle wasn't moving, so instead of stabbing it again, Matrix pulled his spear into the air- er, water, I suppose, and used it as a blade to cut through the tentacle that held Peridot, freeing her.

Unfortunately, before any of them could celebrate, another tentacle shot at them, looking to smash into them both.

Matrix quickly grabbed Peridot, showing the tentacle his back as it flung towards them.

The tentacle's side smashed into them, throwing them into the air and out of the water.

The two Gems smashed into the island once again, Matrix letting go of Peridot as they rolled apart.

"Ow..." They both groaned in unison, sitting up slowly.

"Of all the things to run into out here..." Matrix rubbed his head.

"You said it..." Peridot said, her usually _Dorito_ shaped hair now wet and matted down. She shook her head, water flying out of it before it took it's original position.

"So how the hell are we supposed to beat this thing?" Matrix and Peridot stood back to back, watching as the tentacles rose from the water.

"The only way we can kill it is to go into the water. But if we were to be returned to our gems and sink down to the bottom of the ocean..." Peridot shook her head.

"The pressure would crush our gems..." Matrix finished. "And I don't think those things'll let us fly out of here..."

"That only leaves one option..." Peridot glanced at Matrix, who looked confused for a moment before his eyes widened, realizing what she meant.

 **"Fusion..."**

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. The whole Story for Steven kind turned into the Adventures of Matrix and Peridot pretty quick, so I guess it'll only be two parts. I'm pretty hyped for the next chapter, and I'm sure you know why from the last word.  
**

 **And TheLadyShadows, I hope this chapter didn't destroy your hopes? El winke.**

 **You see that? That's one year of sleeping through Spanish Class right there.**

 **well then, I hope to see you all in the feedback and next chapter!**

 **XWolf26, out**


	7. Chapter 7: Tanzanite

**Thanks go to TennisCat, The Imprisoned of Hell, and Randal435.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

"... Wow..." Connie looked to the ground, her eyes wide.

"Yeah..." Steven was also looking at the ground.

"W-well Pearl must have had a good reason to..."

"Matrix said she attacking my mom while trying to stop her from attacking him, but she didn't even have a weapon..."

"..." The two remained silent, staring at the ground.

* * *

"No, there is no way I am going to fuse with you!" Matrix said, holding his spear towards the flailing tentacles as he spoke with Peridot.

"It's either that or this thing kills us. Your pick." Peridot glanced at Matrix, who shook his head.

"I don't care if it does. I don't _do_ fusion." Matrix shot Peridot a glare.

"Look, I don't particularly want to be stuck in a body with you either, but as of right now it is looking a lot like our only option."

"... No." Matrix said childishly, the tentacles closing in, forcing the two to stand back to back.

"This is the only chance we've got, Matrix! Stop being so stubborn!" Peridot said, glaring at Matrix out of the corner of her eye as they watched the tentacles.

"..." Matrix sighed, rolling his eyes in disapproval. "Fine, but you tell anyone about what you see in my head, and you'll regret it."

"I'm shaking in my anti-gravity boats." Peridot rolled her eyes as they both turned to the other, neither of them liking the idea.

They took hold of the other's hands, moving back and forth with the others feet, dancing slowly and awkwardly as Matrix spun Peridot out ward, bring her back in. Their faces were about an inch apart, both of them looking away from the other, their cheeks red.

A white light enveloped the two, only their gems visible as they morphed into a ball of energy, beginning to take the form of a tall being. Their minds were forced into one.

It looked to be about twelve feet tall, having four arms and four eyes. It's green skin had orange and black rings over it, and a green visor covered it's top four eyes.

On the top, it's left eye was an orange gem, it's right eye green. On the bottom it's left eye was green and it's right was orange. It wore the same sleeveless jumpsuit that Peridot wore, with a cloak covering it's hair and back. Under the cloak on it's forehead was a green, smooth triangular gem.

"Whoa..." It looked at two if it's four hands, it's voice a mixture of Peridot's and Matrix's. A grin came to Tanzanite's lips.

"This is gonna be fun."

* * *

"So where is this thing?" Amethyst glanced out of the side of the boat, sighing as she ran her hand through the water.

"It's supposed to be somewhere around here. We can't let the Gem Kraken run loose through the sea. It's been getting closer and closer to Beach City for the past week." Garnet said, looking ahead.

Pearl's eyes narrowed as she noticed the water vibrating. "I think it's close..."

"Good guess, P." Amethyst said, pointing ahead at the tentacles flailing near the small island.

"I think it's attacking something." Garnet said, crossing her arms.

"But what?" Pearl wondered aloud, before all of their eyes widened, a flash of light coming from the island. Something grew and loomed over the trees by at least three feet, it's cloak flapping at the force of the power it seemed to be releasing.

"What is that?!" Pearl asked in shock, staring at the cloak. "Is... Is that Matrix?!"

"No, it's way too big..." Amethyst said. "Plus, it's arms are green."

"With Orange stripes." Garnet added, and all of their eyes widened once again at a sudden thought.

"Y-you don't think Matrix and Peridot would have..." Amethyst glanced at Garnet, who's hands clenched into fists.

"This is bad."

* * *

Tanzanite grinned as he held out his four arms. In a flash of light, two crossbows appeared in Tanzanite's arms. One was held with the two left arms, the other with the two right arms. His fingers, a lot like Peridot's but actually connected to a hand, wrapped around the triggers.

A tentacle flew down at the giant fusion, who quickly jumped into the air, aiming one crossbow at it and firing multiple bolts into the tentacle as it smashed into the ground.

Each of the giant crossbow bolts stabbed into the tentacle, piercing through the ground under it and pinning it to the ground.

Tanzanite landed on his feet, the crossbows magically reloading. "Alright, who's next?" The mixed voice questioned, another tentacle flying at him.

"Good, another volunteer!" Tanzanite jumped to the side, watching the tentacle slam into the ground. Tanzanite aimed both crossbows at it, pelting it with more bolts and pinning another tentacle to the ground.

"That all you got?" Tanzanite asked. He seemed more like Matrix than Peridot, in fact Peridot didn't even seem present in the fusion.

* * *

"I have to know..." Peridot wandered through the mind of the fusion, looking through the thoughts and memories.

"I'm going to have to go pretty far back..."

* * *

Tanzanite watched the two remaining tentacles fly at him, the rest bolted to the island. As the tentacles approached, Tanzanite threw the cross bows up into the air, his arms getting ready for the tentacles coming from his sides.

The ground under the fusion cracked, Tanzanite wincing as he caught the two tentacles! "Alright cuddly, that's game."

Tanzanite growled, pulling on the two tentacles. The water shook, and in one motion the squid was in the air!

Tanzanite let go of the tentacles, watching the squid soar into the air. He held out his hands, catching the two crossbows. He suddenly pushed them together, watching them morph into another weapon.

With a flash, Tanzanite held a giant harpoon gun in his hands! It took all four arms to hold.

Tanzanite aimed up at the squid, smirking.

* * *

"DID IT JUST PULL THE SQUID OUT OF THE WATER?!" Pearl asked in shock, watching with wide eyes as the Monster flailed in the air.

Suddenly, a beam of light shot from the giant gun the fusion seemed to be holding, and it pierced through the squid, who became motionless.

A screech rang through the air, and the squid fell slowly towards the island, exploding into a gem.

* * *

"Hmph." Tanzanite watched as the gem fell towards him, reaching out to catch it. And crush it in his hand...

A blur suddenly shot by, catching the gem before Tanzanite could take it.

"What the?" Tanzanite looked, his eyes narrowing as his eyes laid upon Garnet, who bubbled the gem, making it disappear somewhere.

"Oh great, the Crystal Clods have come to bother us-er, me some more." Tanzanite rolled his eyes, his weapon disappearing.

"Well they seem more stable than what Lapis and Jasper turned into..." Pearl said, standing beside Garnet.

"Yes. Maybe they aren't so bad for each other." Garnet said, clearly trying to mock the giant fusion.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?!" Tanzanite asked, his face turning red.

Amethyst laughed, but Tanzanite quickly caught on to what they were doing.

"Oh, I see. Trying to make me unstable so I'll defuse." The crossbows reappeared in Tanzanite's hands, and he grinned.

"Well it's not gonna work!" The giant crossbow bolts shot in a barrage at the Crystal Gems, who quickly jumped out of the way, the ground where they once stood coated in crossbow bolts.

"He's got range on us..." Pearl said, looking to Garnet. "What are we going to do? We can't fight this without fusing, but I doubt he'll let us do that."

"Damn right I won't." Tanzanite chimed in, firing a crossbow bolt at Pearl.

"Look out!" Garnet shoved Pearl aside, taking the bolt through her shoulder. The force of the bolt striking her was enough to send her flying through the air, splashing into the water.

"Garnet!" Pearl exclaimed in surprise, before looking up to see another crossbow bolt flying at her. She rolled out of the way as Garnet climbed ashore.

Tanzanite threw one crossbow into the air, catching the whip that had been thrown towards him. "You won't be getting me with that trick, runt." Tanzanite pulled the whip, pulling Amethyst into the air with it.

Amethyst yelled in shock, flying through the air. Tanzanite dropped the whip, catching Amethyst by the face with one hand.

"Hey, remember what Opal did to Matrix?" Tanzanite arched a brow at Amethyst, who was struggling to get free. She stopped.

"Uh..."

"Vengeance." Tanzanite said simply in a cheery tone. In the next instant, Amethyst's skull had been crushed in Tanzanite's hand, her gem falling to the ground after her body exploded.

"Amethyst!" Pearl exclaimed as she watched Tanzanite catch his other crossbow, aiming at her.

"You're next." Tanzanite grinned, aiming both crossbows at the neurotic gem.

Garnet stood quickly, shooting off the ground towards Tanzanite.

"Ah ah." Tanzanite aimed his right crossbow at her, not even looking as it shot five shots.

Garnet stumbled, a bolt shooting through her right leg, left foot, left bicep, her abdomen, and one grazing her face.

Garnet tripped, falling and sliding. She too exploded into two gems, one red and the other blue.

* * *

"What's this?" Peridot asked herself, finding a large wall. something seemed to be banging on the wall from the other side, and it seemed to be cracked.

"Huh..." Peridot knew she shouldn't have opened that gate, but her curiosity was peaked, and she had to know what Matrix knew about the gems.

She grabbed the block between the handles of the gate, pulling it out.

* * *

"And then there was one." Tanzanite grinned, looming over Pearl, who seemed to be shivering.

Was this really it for the Crystal Gems?

Suddenly, Tanzanite's eyes widened, and he dropped both of his crossbows, watching them break on the ground as he grabbed his head.

Tanzanite stepped back, roaring in pain. "A... A human... He... We... I... L-Loved a human?!" Tanzanite asked himself, backing up slowly, stumbling and running into the trees.

"Peridot, what have you done?!" Tanzanite's voice almost sounded like Matrix's.

"You never told me anything, and I was curious. I need all the information on the Gems that I can get!" Peridot's voice responded.

"You idiot..! We had them! We actually had them this time!" Tanzanite began to glow white, his body pulling apart and shrinking.

"I almost had my revenge and now-" Tanzanite defused, Matrix and Peridot hitting the ground, groaning.

Peridot's eyes were wide as she contemplated what she'd seen behind that gate. What she'd seen through his eyes...

Matrix rubbed his head, standing and pulling his spear from his eye. He was panting and struggling to stand. Being violently defused like that...

"Matrix, you aren't in any condition to..." Peridot protested before being cut off.

"Shut up!" Matrix demanded, his grip tightening in his spear. "I have them..." Was Matrix laughing? "I actually have them this time!"

Just before Matrix could attack, a blast hit him in the back, making him fall forward, unconscious.

"Take your friends and leave us." Peridot said, her cannon aimed at Pearl, who nodded slowly, quickly picking up Ruby, Sapphire, and Amethyst. She quickly got to the boat, setting the Gems in it before turning to look at Peridot.

"Why are you letting me go? Why did you stop Matrix?" Pearl asked, and Peridot glanced at Matrix.

"I saw it all in there... I saw what you did. That human. I saw how you killed her. What's worse, I saw it through his eyes... I saw every moment they shared from the moment she found him laying in the wasteland with his gem cracked to the moment that he held her dying in his arms... It was disturbing to say the least." Peridot shivered lightly.

 _"T-Thea..? Come on, stop messing around... Get up..! Come on, please... You can't just leave me like this..."_

"Honestly I wish I'd never seen it. I have a lot more questions now then I did before, and that's why I need you alive... It would make Matrix slip even further than he has now..."

 _"I can fix this... I can fix this..!"_

Pearl nodded, stepping into the boat and turning on the motor. Peridot watched as the boat swam off into the distance before glancing at Matrix.

"I don't understand... How could a gem feel for a human?" Peridot was more curious now than she'd ever been.

Matrix remained unconscious, it seeming a bit more like he was asleep. His wounds seemed to be healing.

"What a disturbing thought..." Peridot muttered, shrugging it off. "Feelings are so pointless."

* * *

"So what happened?" Steven asked Pearl eagerly, jumping up and down as she stepped off of the boat, looking tired.

"Where are the others?" Steven arched a brow at Pearl, who only held up three gems in response.

"W-whoa... What happened? Was the monster really that powerful?" Connie asked.

"Matrix and Peridot were there..." Pearl sighed as they approached the temple.

"What?!" Connie exclaimed in shock.

"But they shouldn't have been stronger than Garnet..." Steven looked up at Pearl, who ran a hand through her hair.

"We showed up at the worst possible time..." Connie opened the door for Pearl, watching as she collapsed on the couch.

"What do you mean?" Connie asked.

"They were fighting the squid. I guess that they were losing, and they resorted to fusion..."

The human and half human's eyes widened in shock. "T-they fused?! But Peridot told me that Matrix never fused with anyone..."

"They must have been desperate." Pearl said. "As Tanzanite, they killed the creature without breaking a sweat. They were about to destroy the gem when we showed up. Garnet managed to save the gem, but Tanzanite attacked us..."

"And he did this? Just how powerful was this fusion?" Connie asked.

"Horrifyingly strong. In fact, if it wasn't for Peridot digging through Matrix's memory and finding his memories of Thea, they never would have defused and I never would've gotten away..." Pearl decided to leave out Peridot stopping Matrix, not wanting to put any thoughts of her being good in Steven's head.

"..." The two humans sat next to Pearl, leaning against her and sighing in thought. Pearl couldn't help but smile lightly.

* * *

"Ugh..." Matrix sat up, rubbing his head. He noticed that he was no longer collapsed in the sand, he was instead lying on his back under the shade of a tree, his hood placed over him like some sort of blanket.

"Oh good, you're awake. We need to get moving. The Crystal Clods know we're here."

"Huh..?" A flash of memories hit Matrix, and he grabbed his head. "Oh... Right... Tanzanite..." Matrix ran a hand through his hair.

"That was the first time I've fused in literal ages..." Matrix said, rubbing his head. "Everything's fuzzy..."

For a moment Peridot thought maybe Matrix wouldn't remember what she'd done, but when she saw his eyes widen, she realized that she'd misplaced her hopes.

"You did exactly what I didn't want you to do, Peridot..." Matrix's hands clenched into fists.

"I didn't know that was what you were hiding." Peridot looked at the sky. She just kept remembering the horrid flash of memories. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw that human's face. Blood seeped from her mouth, but she still smiled as tears hit her face from Matrix.

"And you weren't supposed to know." Matrix scowled, looking out at the ocean. They both seemed unwilling to make eye contact.

"I'm... Sorry." Peridot seemed to have to choke out the word.

Matrix was slightly surprised, making him glance over at her. I... I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right. Did you just apologize?"

"Don't get used to it." Peridot crossed her arms, looking away.

Matrix smirked to himself, looking back to the ocean. "I suppose I couldn't have kept it from you forever anyway. Considering everyone we run into knows the story or hears about it. You would've pieced it together eventually anyway."

"I don't think I could of predicted that one. Matrix the cold Kindergartener fell for a human." Peridot mocked, and a light pink came to Matrix's cheeks.

"S-shut up! Those were different times..." Matrix crossed his arms, looking away.

"Yeah, okay. Y'know, I saw every memory." Peridot said. There was a certain tone in her voice, as if she was referring to a specific memory.

Matrix seemed confused for a moment before his eyes widened, and his cheeks glowed red. "A-all of them..?"

"Yep." Peridot grinned.

"Even-"

"Yes."

"..."

"Honestly I find it disgusting. And going through it through your eyes was... Strange to say the least."

"Stop talking about it, Peridot."

"I mean it wouldn't have been so bad if I didn't feel what you felt too."

"PERIDOT!"

Peridot laughed, Even though she knew full well her mocking had went way too far. In fact it was quite out of character for her. Perhaps feeling that intense emotional rush had changed her?

Nah.

"You really are a bitch." Matrix crossed his arms, his blush fading.

"It's not my fault you do disgusting things."

"It's not like Gems don't do that."

"Most of us don't. Only a few weird one's from the Gem War's do." Peridot said.

"More than a few. We picked up a lot of things from the Humans."

"Well they're weird." Peridot shook her head. "Look, we've gotta get moving."

"I doubt the Gems will be too willing to come after us again. Not after seeing what Tanzanite can do." Matrix couldn't help but smirk.

"They'll still come after us eventually. If anything, they'll probably be more eager to find us now. They've seen how dangerous we can be when we actually work together."

"Well don't count on this whole team work thing after we finish our mission. Once we're back on Homeworld, we never speak of this." Matrix looked away to the ocean again.

"I'm not exactly eager to share this with people." Peridot rolled her eyes.

"So where are we gonna go now?" Matrix arched a row at Peridot.

 **"Kindergarten..."**

* * *

 **Alrighty then, the whole Kindergarten thing might be difficult, as they have yet to reveal Peridot's plan in the show. So... I guess it's time to go into Steven Theory mode and figure it out.**

 **Any who, my computer is currently being a douche and not letting me see reviews, so I have to go through my email to see them and eeeeeeeehhhhhhh.**

 **But it's still possible, so y'know, I can still thank people. Anyway, please review, favorite and follow.  
**

 **XWolf26, out**


	8. Chapter 8: Cluster

**Okay, thanks go to The Imprisoned of Hell and Randal435.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEIR SHIP WENT DOWN?!"

The pale boy cringed, and the bright girl cringed with him. The pale boy's skin seemed to be almost grey, and in his forehead was a strangely shinning grey stone in an spherical shape. His hair was grey and un-managed. The boy looked almost dirty, his clothes torn for reasons unexplained.

The girl next to him seemed to be his exact opposite, her skin an almost glowing yellow. In her forehead was an orange-ish yellow gem. It was the same shape as that of the gem in the forehead of the boy next to her. Her hair was long and glowing orange. She wore an autumn orange dress. She was clean and pure, giving off a happy and trusting feeling instead of the dark one that the other gave off.

"Lieutenant Tiger, the footage from Peridot's ship was sent to us before the ship went down. Those Crystal Gems,"

"Or really what was left of them," The orange girl seemed to finish the others sentence. "Were stronger than anticipated."

"Both Jasper and my brother Matrix were on that ship!" Tiger, Matrix's sister, roared, her fang-like teeth showing. "You're going to tell me that they were over powered?!"

"We can show you the footage if you like..." The boy pressed his fingers together, almost shyly. But the rather creepy, open jawed grin on his face destroyed the look of innocence.

"Yes, Moonstone, that would be great." Tiger seemed unfazed by the creepy, younger-looking gem.

"Sunstone?" Moonstone looked at the one next to him, who kept her friendly smile.

"Yes, of course brother." Sunstone disappeared in a small flash of light. Another flash appeared, and Sunstone was back with a small green device.

She had a smile as she showed the screen on the device to Tiger. It was showing a replay of Matrix being shot by Opal's arrow and returning to his gem and showing Jasper being thrown into the power source of the ship.

"See?"

"We"

"Told"

"You"

"So."

The children grinned at their two person sentence while Tiger's eyes narrowed.

"Has Yellow Diamond been informed?" Tiger asked, watching as Peridot escaped with Matrix's gem.

"Yes, yes." Sunstone started.

"But of course..." Moonstone ran his tongue across his sharp teeth.

"That's why we're here, silly!" Sunstone's smile was getting old.

"We're supposed to be recruiting you for our rescue mission."

"Your rescue mission?" Tiger questioned. She didn't mean for it to sound like she didn't think they could handle a mission, she meant if more as 'Why would Yellow Diamond send her top guards out to defeat these Crystal Gems?'

Unfortunately, it wasn't heard that way.

In the next instant, Moonstone was floating over her, his eyes going from a pale black to a glowing red. He'd pressed his black dagger, supposedly pulled from his gem, to Tiger's throat.

"You aren't underestimating us, are you Tiger?" Sunstone asked, a glowing gold bow in her hands. She'd pulled back the string, a flaming arrow at its tip.

"Because the last people who did that didn't end up so well..." Moonstone whispered in Tiger's ear, his tongue flicking in his mouth, against his sharp teeth.

"N-no, S-sir and M-Ma'am. Of course not... You two are about as strong as they come, that's why I wondered why Yellow Diamond would want you away from her. Not because I didn't think you could handle it! Not that at all!" Tiger laughed nervously, beads of cold sweat running down her forehead.

"Oh, good." Moonstone jumped off of Tiger, landing on his feet next to his sister.

"For a second we thought we might have had to put you in time out." Sunstone's smile was a lot creepier than cute.

Tiger sighed in relief, wiping sweat from her brow. "So... Who else is coming with us?"

"Well Emerald's gotta fly the ship," Sunstone counted one on her finger.

"And Amazonite is coming too." Moonstone counted another.

On Sunstone's hand.

"And if she's coming then technically so are Feldspar and Fluorite!" Sunstone said cheerily, counting two more.

"And that's our squad." Moonstone said, and Tiger thought for a moment.

"But everyone in the squad can-"

"Well of course!" Sunstone interrupted.

"And once we find Matrix, you'll be able to as well." Moonstone looked at his hands, grinning.

 _But Matrix and I haven't fused in ages... Not since he..._

"Just picture it!"

"A team of fusions."

"We could exterminate those filthy Crystal Gems!"

"And retrieve Matrix, Peridot, and whoever else survived."

"And then we could!-"

"Dance on the graves of those filthy mongrels."

Moonstone grinned as Sunstone giggled, grabbing him and dancing ring around the rosy.

 _This would be adorable had they not just proclaimed they would dance on the graves of filthy mongrels..._

Tiger wiped away another bit of cold sweat, knowing she'd have to deal with these two for however long it took to get to Earth.

"So... When do we depart?"

* * *

Matrix looked over the barren wasteland that was his birth place. The rain over thousands of years seemed to have washed away the blood, but it still reeked of death and despair.

They'd been at the Kindergarten for about a week now. They'd been on the planet for about a month now, as it took them awhile to reach the Kindergarten, but it felt like they'd been here forever.

Matrix walked to an injector that was broken in two. He placed his hand on it, a flash of memories hitting him like a train.

 _"Pearl, what did you do?!" Amethyst asked in shock as Pearl's eyes were wide. Rain began to pour from the clouds as lightning crackled across the sky._

 _A roar was heard as Matrix shot forward, pulling his spear back. Tears were in his eyes, and his roar was that of complete rage._

 _Pearl quickly blocked the spear, wincing slightly as she pushed it to the side, though Matrix didn't care, his other hand shooting forward and grabbing her by the throat!_

 _Pearl pulled back her spear, ramming it into Matrix's gut. As Matrix's blood spilled onto the battle field, his expression of seething rage only worsened, his grip tightening as Pearl pulled her spear back once more._

 _Before Pearl could send her spear forward, however, a flash shoot by, slashing her out of Matrix's hands._

 _Matrix looked to see his sister pinning Pearl against the wall, reaching for her gem with one clawed hand. Her right eye glowed with her gem._

 _"No!" Matrix demanded, falling to four legs as he shot to his sister, smacking her aside, much to both of their shock._

 _As Pearl fell, Matrix caught her by the throat, pulling her back and slamming her into the wall._

 _The rock wall cracked, and Matrix snarled, slamming Pearl into it again and again._

 _"Matrix, calm down! She was just a-" Tiger was cut off, her eyes widening as blood seeped from her mouth._

 _Matrix stood before her, his hand on the handle of his spear while it went through his sisters chest, coming out of her back.  
_

 _"Don't you ever, **ever** talk about her like that..." Matrix said, tears continuing to build in his eyes. "She wasn't just any human!" _

_"M-Matrix..." Was all Tiger could stammer, her eyes wide and full of pain as she exploded into her gem. As her gem fell, Matrix caught it, placing it in his pocket._

 _He noticed that Pearl and Amethyst were circling him. "It didn't have to come to this, Matrix." Pearl said._

 _"Don't speak like you're in the right!" Matrix shot at the pale white gem._

Matrix's eyes widened as he grabbed his head, growling in pain. He shook his head, trying to shake away the memory.

"You alright?" Peridot asked, floating from the ground on a green plate.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine." Matrix rubbed his eyes, groaning. "Can we just get out of here..? I don't want to be here any longer than I have to..." He looked to the sky.

It seemed like it was always about to rain here, but it only had once...

"You and me both, but we have a problem." Peridot said, glancing down the hole that she'd came up from.

"What is it?" Matrix asked, walking up to her.

"A Cluster is awake and hostile."

Matrix's eyes widened, and he went cold.

"A Cluster..? those putrid things are actually alive..?" Matrix finally managed to say.

"Yes. That's one of the things I was here to check on. But I've also got other things to do down there, and the Cluster won't let me get by."

"I'll gladly kill that thing... Why did those kids ever think that it was a good idea?" Matrix asked.

"Moonstone and Sunstone aren't exactly right in the head, Matrix. And they didn't like those who opposed the diamond hierarchy." Peridot shook her head. "I can only guess what they did to these gems before breaking them to pieces was brutal."

Peridot and Matrix stood on the pad as they floated slowly to the bottom. "And you can't kill the cluster, just return it to it's gem state. It should regenerate it's body before anything notices."

"Those things makes me sick..." Matrix confessed as they reached the bottom of the cave.

"You've seen one before?" Peridot glanced at Matrix.

"I saw them making one... I saw what those kids did to some of the gems they put in it... There were three prisoners, and that Moonstone kid... He took control of all three of their bodies somehow... Me made them kill each other, and I could tell that in mind, those poor gems were still themselves. Watching through eyes that weren't there own..."

"..." Peridot remained silent, looking around for the Cluster. "Note to self, do not ever irritate Moonstone or Sunstone."

As if mentioning those names was the Cluster's cue, it stumbled from the darkness, groaning and screeching.

Matrix's eyes widened as he looked at it, and he pulled his spear from under his hood. _God help them all..._

* * *

Garnet looked around the Kindergarten, feeling that something was wrong. Something was _very_ wrong. The others had fanned out throughout the area when Garnet thought she heard a screeching noise.

It almost sounded familiar. Actually, like a combination of familiar voices. She shook her head. This place quite literally echoed with sorrow.

* * *

Matrix snapped his spear over his knee, throwing it to the side as it disappeared. Before him was the gem of the Cluster.

"... What did we do, Peridot..?" Matrix asked, staring at the Gem. He sat down in front of it.

"What do you mean?" Peridot looked at Matrix out of the corner of her eye as she pressed keys on the computer. Ugh, it was quite the relic.

"To the others... What kind of monster would do something like this?" Matrix gritted his teeth, two different colored arms stuck together crawling towards him.

"These disgusting things!" Matrix picked up the arm, crushing it and catching its gem. He pulled the two gems stuck together apart, throwing them away from each other.

"All those years away from this planet, and you still act so human." Peridot shrugged, sighing. She'd almost wished she'd gotten stuck with Jasper. She would've just crushed that thing with a grin.

But then again, Jasper was a lot more stubborn and annoying than Matrix.

"The Gems acted human once too, you know." Matrix glanced up at Peridot.

"Now that is something that I don't believe." Peridot said, looking over the information before something that almost resembled some sort of USB came from one of her fingers, and she stuck it into the side of the keyboard.

"It's true. But when you live forever," Matrix sighed, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head. "Something makes you go numb eventually..."

"... I believe that the Earthling term for you is 'Downer'." Peridot said as she pulled her finger from the keyboard. She turned, walking towards the elevator. "You coming?"

Matrix smirked lightly at Peridot's remark before standing. "Yeah, I'm coming."

The two stood on the elevator pad, being lifted up towards the surface.

"So what do we do now- Oh for God's sake..." Matrix rolled his eyes, seeing Steven standing about ten feet away from where the elevator was coming up, looking right at them.

Steven remained silent as the Gems before him spoke.

"I'm growing tired of running into these Crystal Clods..." Peridot pinched the bridge of her nose.

"We've only ran into them three times, counting now of course, since the ship went down." Matrix said. "And that was like... A month ago."

"Really? It feels like it's been more than that..." Peridot shrugged. "Oh well."

"Uh..." Steven finally said.

"I'll handle this." Matrix stepped forward. "Uh... Steven, I'm going to need you to do me a solid and not tell the others that I'm here."

"I don't think I can do that Matrix." Steven said, shrugging. At least he was honest.

"Pretty please?" Matrix asked, not wanting to have a fight here. He'd been slipping too much lately...

"You are the worst negotiator." Peridot rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she did so.

"You think you can do a better job?" Before Peridot could respond to Matrix's challenge, a shout was heard from the distance.

"Peridot! Matrix!"

"It's the fusion." Peridot concluded immediately.

"Oh goody." Matrix rolled his eyes, pulling his spear from his eye.

"We aren't going to do this again."

"But-"

"I'm sick of you taking stupid risks when we can escape!"

Matrix rolled his eyes, sighing. "Fine."

Garnet was almost upon them as Matrix grabbed Peridot, throwing her over his shoulder.

"What are you-" Peridot was cut off as Matrix suddenly jumped, soaring into the air and landing at the top of the dirt ledge that had been above them, catching himself at the ledge with one hand.

Peridot had held in a scream for her dignity's sake, staring at the ground with wide eyes from Matrix's shoulder.

"Onto the land, Peridot. Quickly!" Matrix's voice was strained as he held them there with one hand.

Peridot quickly climbed up, and Matrix climbed up after her.

"Warn me next time you clod!" Peridot smacked Matrix upside the head angrily.

"Ow! Noted..." Matrix rubbed the side of his head as they looked down, seeing Garnet staring up at them.

"Well the good news is I don't think she's going to try to climb it." Matrix said as he looked back behind them.

"And what's the bad news?" Peridot arched a brow at Matrix, who pointed to the two Gems running at them.

"Oh, great. Well we should be able to deal with them rather easily-" Peridot was stepping towards Pearl and Amethyst, before Matrix put one arm in front of her.

Peridot looked up at Matrix, arching a brow at him as he shook his head. "Really? You're really doing this now?"

"Peridot, look where we are." Peridot arched a brow at him before looking around the area. Smashed injectors. Mud on the ground. And a wall with an indent in it that resembled Pearl.

"... Make it quick." Peridot sat down, looking over the side as her arm formed it's cannon.

Garnet and Steven seemed to be lowering into the Kindergarten Main Control Room.

* * *

They had been on that ship for almost a month now. Tiger sat in the control room next to Emerald, sighing in boredom and spinning in the levitating chair in boredom.

"What's eatin' at you?" Emerald glanced over at Tiger, taking a moment away from the controls. There was nothing the green gem really needed to do, as the ship's course was set and it was flying itself. But he needed something to do to consume time.

He had dark green hair that hung loosely over his forehead, one partially covering his left eye. He pulled his emerald green hands from the controls, revealing the emerald on the back of his left hand.

"Nothing, Emerald. I'm just bored..." Tiger sighed once again.

"You and me both." Emerald put his feet up on the control table.

"Uh... Should you really be doing that?" Tiger arched a brow at him.

"Ol' Peri never would've let me do this in one of her ships, but since she'd not here..." Emerald chuckled, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back.

Emerald was certainly nothing like his mentor. Where Peridot would be angry with someone just for being in the control room with her, Emerald would be willing to let people in while he kept his feet up on the control table. He was certainly much more laid back than Peridot.

"Shouldn't you be focusing on the controls?" A voice spoke from behind them.

Emerald immediately recognized the voice, yelling in surprise and falling from his chair.

Behind him stood a rather large woman, standing at about eight feet tall. She was muscular, and wore clothes that almost resembled that of some sort of amazon.

Her skin was a bluish-green, and her white hair reached down to her hips. She had four arms, but only had two eyes.

"A-Amazonite, I was just bored is all. The ship can fly itself." Emerald quickly climbed to his feet as Tiger laughed.

Amazonite's sigh shook the room. Her voice truly was loud. "Whatever." She walked from the room.

"How did she sneak up on me? I should've heard those giant feet a mile away..." There Emerald went, shooting his mouth off.

Amazon stopped at the door. "What was that?"

"N-nothing." Emerald stood up straight, gulping.

"That's what I thought." Amazonite's slow, loud voice spoke as she grinned, walking from the room.

As the door closed automatically behind her, Sunstone jumped from the ceiling, landing on her back. "Piggyback ride!" She demanded happily.

Amazonite's usually somber expression turned into a grin with laughter. "Alright, alright." Amazonite began walking.

It was strange. Sunstone and Moonstone were both much older than anyone on the ship. They'd been with Yellow Diamond for as long as anyone could remember, yet they were the only gems that made themselves look like that at their age and most certainly the only one's who acted that way at their age.

Moonstone watched them all from the shadows, grinning to himself as he seemed to be gnawing on his fingers.

 **"Things are gonna get fun soon..!"**

* * *

 **And that, ladies and gentlemen, is chapter eight. The next big thing is coming up so... Y'know, get ready for that. Anywho,  
**

 **Please review, favorite, and follow.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	9. Chapter 9: Grudge Match

**Okay, thanks go to TennisCat, QChronicles and Guest for their reviews.I don't have too much else to say so...  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe.**

* * *

 _"Matrix! Stop!" Rose Quartz demanded, blocking another one of Matrix's spears. Tiger grinned as she watched._

 _"Good, he truly remembers what side he's on." She said, crossing her arms as Matrix stabbed at Rose once again, his eyes wide. His right eye, the only actual eye, was blood red._

 _"It would seem that Cats Eye was exactly what Matrix needed to snap him out of that Earth loving faze." The shaded gem said. Her voice was soft yet strong, and although her figure was shaded, the glowing yellow diamond where her belly button would be was visible._

 _"Yes, it appears so..." Tiger watched, transfixed on Matrix's fighting. No mere gem usually stood a change against Rose Quartz._

 _Matrix roared, blocking Rose's sword with his spear snarling. "Matrix, this isn't you!" Rose pleaded._

 _Or perhaps she was just holding back._

 _"Remember Thea? What would she think of you now, Matrix?!" Rose tried so hard to get through to the Tiger Eyed gem._

 _"Don't talk about her!" Matrix demanded, jumping to the sky and throwing his spear at Rose. She quickly blocked, But Matrix shot to the ground, pulling another spear from his eye as he landed, stabbing into the ground._

 _Rose attempted to jump back, but her dress was caught on Matrix's spear. Matrix pulled another spear from his eye as the pink gem stumbled._

 _Matrix forced his spear forward, shooting past Rose's shield and towards her gem._

 _A bubbled suddenly appeared around the rebelling gem, hitting Matrix and throwing him away, making him land on his back on the ground, mud splattering as lightning crackled across the sky, the clouds threatening to rain._

 _Rose pulled her sword to the sky, kicking the spear down. "I'm sorry, Matrix." She brought the blade to his neck, her eyes narrowing, though tears built up in them._

 _"Stop!" The blonde human demanded, running through the mud towards them._

 _The red faded from Matrix's eyes, and he looked to her. "Thea..?" He had told her to stay away. He had told her she'd get hurt._

 _If only she'd listened..._

 _"Don't hurt him!" It almost looked as though Thea would try to tackle Rose, when suddenly she stopped._

 _As she had been about to lunge, a pearly white spear had shot through her back, coming out of her abdomen._

 _"Nobody touches Rose..." Pearl said, her eyes white in the heat of battle._

 _Thea turned slowly, looking at her with wide eyes. "P... Pearl..."_

 _Pearl's eyes widened as well, Thea beginning to fall._

 _Matrix shot up, pushing past Rose's sword as she ran forward, jumping and catching Thea._

 _Lightning struck behind them, and Matrix looked at the human he'd come to love with wide eyes._

 _She was smiling. Why the hell was she smiling?!_

 _"I... I snapped you out of it..." Thea laughed, though blood came as she did. She bopped Matrix on the nose with a weak hand before her arm fell back to the ground._

 _"T-Thea... You never should've... It should have been me..." Matrix was shaking as Thea laughed, reaching up to press her lips to his one last time._

 _"You live forever Matrix... You can do a lot more with your life than I can do with mine... I'm glad I could have been of use..." Thea's eyes closed, and Matrix's widened._

 _Pearl, Rose, Garnet, and Amethyst had backed away in horror. The very battle around them seemed to have stopped._

 _Matrix only shook his head, water falling from his eyes onto Thea's face._

* * *

Matrix pulled a double edged spear from his eye, his right eye turning red with a single, Tiger-Like slit for a pupil.

 _If she were to see me now..._

Matrix shot forward, clashing spears with Pearl. He jumped back as Amethyst's whip flew by were he had been a moment ago. Matrix landed behind Amethyst, who turned around as fast as she could, swinging her whip.

Matrix ducked under it, and it came back around, wrapping around the short gem before Matrix shot up, slamming one foot into Amethyst's face, throwing her back.

 _What would she think?_

Pearl shot at him, their spears colliding once again. The two jumped back, throwing their spears at the other.

Matrix jumped into the air as the spears collided, exploding back into nothing as they did so.

Matrix landed in front of Pearl, throwing a punch that she blocked with her forearm. She attempted to sweep his legs out, but he jumped back, landing on his hands and kicking at Pearl, who matrix-style ducked under it.

Matrix spun on his hands, sending more kicks at her. She blocked another with her forearm, but Matrix spun once again, jumping up and kicking her directly in the chest.

As she flew back he grabbed her foot, spinning in air and slamming her into the dirt face first, landing on his feet and pulling another double edged spear from his eye, raising it into the air as if to stab Pearl.

Just before he did, however, Amethyst jumped at him once again, aiming to land on his back and throw him off. Matrix grinned, thrusting the spear back and slamming the other edge into Amethyst's gut.

Lightning flashed behind them, and the same scene played in his head from the last fight. But back then, Amethyst had actually landed. Matrix's grin widened as he brought the short gem into the air, slamming her body into the ground on Pearl!

The two groaned in pain as Matrix rose his spear into the air, his grip on it tightening to the point of white knuckles.

 _What am I doing?_

Matrix seemed to stop.

 _What have I done with the gift Thea gave me?_

Matrix sighed, throwing his spear to the side.

 _I'm fighting along side the one's that tried to exterminate her species..._

"Matrix, what are you doing?" Peridot had to ask.

 _And for what? Vengeance? Is that it? Is that all I've thought about? I never tried to change the world... I never tried to stop Yellow Diamond..._

"We're going..." Matrix turned from the nearly unconscious gems. Amethyst still hadn't retreated into her gem, but Matrix's spear hadn't gone all the way through her.

"Wait, what?" Peridot shot up in surprise. "But you could kill the both of them right now!"

"That's not what I'm supposed to do..."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm supposed to-"

"PERIDOT! MATRIX!"

Garnet rose over the ledge glaring at the two. Steven was on her back.

"Oh, good. I wanted to see you two." Matrix said. He was unarmed.

Garnet set Steven down before suddenly shooting forward, ramming her fist into his cheek and sending him flying across the land, smacking into the mud and sliding across it.

Matrix groaned, sitting up slowly. He looked to see that Garnet had grabbed Peridot by the collar of her shirt and was holding her in the air.

"You... What you did to those helpless gems!" She almost sounded like Ruby.

Garnet pulled back one fist to punch Peridot off of the ledge, but quickly had to reach out, catching Matrix's spear.

She threw the spear to the side, dropping Peridot off the edge!

"Peridot!" Matrix exclaimed in shock, but was relieved to see her floating up on her finger-copter.

That didn't sound right.

"I'm alright, but we need to get out of here!" Peridot flew high into the air. "I'm gonna need you to jump!" She called down, and Matrix nodded, running towards the edge to jump.

Garnet suddenly appeared before him, slamming her fist into his chest as he ran into it, snarling as he was thrown back once again, bouncing and skidding in the mud, lightning striking again.

Rain continued to pour as Garnet and Matrix stood, staring one another down. Lightning flashed, and an image flashed before Matrix's eyes.

It showed the two facing off like now but in a darker, greyish shade. All they heard was the sound of pouring rain. Behind them in both times were an unconscious Pearl and Amethyst.

"Well here we are again." Matrix said, pulling a spear from his eye.

"What you did... What you damn Homeworld gems did to them!" Garnet's fists clenched hard, her teeth gritting.

"That abomination... I never thought that was their aim, Garnet..." Matrix shook his head. "I'm sorry..."

"SORRY WON'T BRING THEM BACK!" Garnet shot forward as lightning struck again.

 _"SORRY WON'T BRING HER BACK!" Matrix shot forward at the fusion._

Matrix ducked under the fist, sending a kick up into the fusion's abdomen. Garnet shot into the air from the force of the kick, but spun, not caring as she took a diving position, flying down towards Matrix.

Peridot watched them fight, floating in the air, not noticing the lightning. She was almost mesmerized by the intense battle.

"PERIDOT! Look out!" Steven suddenly yelled from the ground.

"What is he-" Peridot looked up, seeing the sky crackling with lightning just above her. "... Oh."

In the next instant Peridot was alight with electricity, unable to yell from the pain. Steven watched in horror as her burnt body fell towards the ground. She returned to her gem, which had managed to remain unscathed.

Steven caught the gem, eyes wide. It was hot, and he had to try not to drop it in the mud.

Matrix jumped up at Garnet, holding his spear to his side as Garnet held her fist forward. Steven watched in shock as the two smashed into one another, a shock wave causing the rain to blow away from them for a moment.

There was a moment where everything paused, before the two suddenly shot away from each other, both of them slamming into the ground and creating craters.

The two shot from the craters instantly, rushing at each other. Both of their weapons were gone.

They collided at the center distance between their craters. Matrix threw a punch as Garnet did, their fists colliding and creating another smaller shock wave.

Matrix jumped up, kicking as Garnet blocked with both forearms, throwing her arms up and making Matrix spiral back.

Matrix landed on his feet, and Garnet jumped forward, pulling a fist back. Matrix dodged the punch, ducking under it and spinning around Garnet.

Garnet didn't expect Matrix to dodge, and she slid forward in the mud. As Matrix jumped forward, he pulled his fist back, slamming it into Garnet's abdomen.

Matrix began running, Garnet on his fist as he did so. He suddenly came to a stop, and Garnet flew forward, slamming into the same wall of rock Pearl slammed into so many years ago.

Garnet fell to her knees, but snarled, standing once again and wiping blood from her lip. She smirked, wiping blood from her lip.

"Go Garnet!" Steven cheered. He wouldn't have cheered had they been using weapons, but right now it was just a brawl.

Garnet jumped at Matrix, slamming her fist into the ground before him before jumping up, kicking at Matrix, who blocked by making an X with his arms, wincing as he slid back.

Matrix dodged past the next kick, sending the side of his arm to slam into the side of Garnet's head.

Garnet caught his arm, pulling Matrix into the air and aiming to slam him into the ground. Matrix quickly placed his feet on both sides of Garnet's head, grabbing hard as he pulled his spear out, stabbing it into the ground and using it to pull Garnet back, slamming her into the mud.

Matrix panted as Garnet suddenly grabbed his leg, pulling him down and jumping on top of him, pulling her fists back and slamming them into his face.

Matrix pulled back his fists as well, doing the same. This went on for about five minutes, the two rolling for who would be on top, beating each other as much as they could without actually doing any terminal damage.

After awhile, the two pulled themselves to their feet, panting and glaring at one another. Garnet's shade's were cracked and broken, showing one of her eyes.

Matrix's face was swollen, blood running from his lip and bent nose.

Suddenly they both fell, and they laid panting in the mud. As the rain began to slow, Garnet began to glow.

"Uh oh..." Garnet managed to sat through her swollen throat before bursting apart.

"Huh..?" Matrix sat up, seeing the red and blue gem that made Garnet sitting before him. He smirked. "Well, I haven't seen you two in awhile." Matrix smirked, and Ruby and Sapphire backed slowly away from him.

"Relax..." Matrix said, panting. His blood still dripped from his face. "I'm in no condition to try to kill you two... And honestly, I really don't feel like it..."

Matrix fell back in the mud, his body aching. "What do you mean 'You don't feel like it'?" Ruby questioned, standing so Matrix could see her face from the ground.

"I didn't want to fight you guys in the first place... I had a bit of a realization when I was about to kill Amethyst and Pearl. But then you attacked me so..." Matrix shrugged, but then his eyes widened.

"Yep. Hurts to move. I'm just gonna ask you guys to not smash me while I uh... Yeah." Without another word, Matrix's body was gone, and a circular, orange gem with a black stripe lay in the mud.

Ruby looked at the gem before raising her foot, snarling. Sapphire stopped her. "But Sapphire-"

"No... From what I can see, things will go badly if we do this now." Sapphire said, her hair covering where her eyes should be.

Ruby sighed. "... Fine."

"Ruby! Sapphire!" Steven ran up to the two. They smiled.

"Oh, Steven. It's been awhile." Sapphire said.

"Last time we saw you was on Peridot's ship, right?" Ruby said before his eyes widened. "Peridot! Where is she?!"

"Uh..." Steven slowly held up Peridot's gem, and the usually fused pair's eyes widened.

"How did you..." Ruby began.

"Oh... I see... She was struck by lightning." Sapphire said.

"Lightning? Oh, right." Ruby nodded. "I remember."

"What are you guys talking about?" Steven arched a brow at the two.

"Well, as Garnet, we saw what would happen if Peridot took flight. That's why we focused entirely on Matrix while putting Peridot in a situation in which she had to fly."

"Whoa..." Steven said, shocked. "Well, whatever the case, we should probably get everyone back to the temple."

Steven picked up Matrix's gem, and Ruby arched a brow at him. "Are we really letting him take those two back home..?"

"Yes." Sapphire said, picking up Pearl in her arms bridal style. "Trust me, it's for the best."

"I don't like not being fused... It means that you get to do that annoying 'I've seen what happens and we need to do this' thing." Ruby said, throwing Amethyst over her shoulder.

Sapphire giggled lightly, looking over the edge. "But it's fun."

"Lets just get to the warp pad..." Ruby said, looking annoyed for a moment before shrugging it off.

* * *

"That... Hurt..." Peridot said, floating in the green abyss that was her gem.

"I can't believe I actually got struck by lightning... Matrix will always mock me for this..." Peridot rolled her eyes, groaning.

"Speaking of which... What's going on out there?" Peridot arched a brow as a screen appeared before her. It showed the face of something- no, someone, carrying her.

"The Steven..." Peridot muttered, before looking to the side of the screen. Next to her gem was an orange one with one black stripe.

A bit of panic crept into Peridot. "They defeated Matrix?! Oh no... Where are they taking us..?! I have to reform my body and quick..!"

* * *

"We're only a few hours away." Emerald said, glancing back at the others. "Everybody ready?" He smirked, and all of the others smirked, or in Moonstone and Sunstone's case grinned, in response.

"But of course." Moonstone and Sunstone said in unison.

"I've been waiting to see what these Crystal Gems can really do..." Amazonite spoke.

"And I'm sure Matrix will be willing to help me exterminate those filthy Crystal Gems." Tiger's smirk widened into a grin.

"Good to know." Emerald spun back around in his chair. "Maybe Peri will be grateful for once."

"Don't count on it." Amazonite spoke slowly as per usual.

* * *

Steven sat on his bed, looking at the two gems that sat in blankets on the counter. Ruby and Sapphire had been waiting for too long to fuse back together, and it was clearly beginning to get to them.

Pearl and Amethyst were lying passed out on the couch, wrapped in blankets as well.

Steven noticed that Sapphire was staring out the window at the sky. "Uh... Something wrong?"

"... We need to get everyone up within the next three hours." She said.

"What?" Ruby stood from her place on the kitchen counter. "Why?"

Sapphire shook her head. "Something big is coming."

 **"Something very, very big."**

* * *

 **Okay, that's the chapter. Please favorite, follow, and review. In the next chapter, it all goes down. Er, starts to.  
**

 **XWolf26, out**


	10. Chapter 10: Timing

**Thanks go to Randal435, The Imprisoned of Hell, and TennisCat.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

"I'm getting a serious case of deja vu..." Steven said, watching as the green hand reached towards the city. Unlike the last ship, this one was a left hand, not a right hand.

His phone rang, and he quickly recognized the number, answering.

"Universe, are we really doing this again?!" The voice of Mayor Dewey rang.

"I'm afraid so, Mayor Dewey..." Steven gulped.

Mayor Dewey sighed. "If the square headed one didn't scare me, I'd have had you guys evicted by now." Dewey sighed. "Want me to evacuate the city again?"

"Yes please..." Steven answered sheepishly. He looked down the beach to see a van coming up on it, pulling over. Greg and Connie jumped out of it.

Dewey sighed, clicking the button and looking out at the distant hand.

"Everything alright, Dad?" Buck asked, walking up behind him.

"Get your friends and everyone else, Buck... We're evacuating again."

* * *

"Again?!" Sadie exclaimed in shock.

"I know, right?" Lars said, motioning for Sadie to come through the door of the Big Donut.

Sadie looked down, thinking. "Sadie, what are you doing? Come on, we've gotta go!"

"... No." Sadie said, her hands clenching into fists.

"... What?!"

"I said no!" Sadie said, looking back up at Lars.

"Sadie, are you insane? We've gotta go!" Lars walked forward, grabbing her by the wrist. "Those Gems will kill us!"

"Steven barely got away last time!" Sadie pulled her hand free. "We have to help him!"

"What can we do?!"

"I killed an invisible monster with a spear and brute strength! I think I can take a couple space rocks!" Sadie reached under the desk, pulling out the sharpened stick from her trip with Lars and Steven to the Gem Island.

"... You're gonna get me killed but..." Lars smirked.

"I guess I have to help out Player 2."

* * *

Sour Cream ran towards the boat he'd been told to use to get to his father if something like what happened last time occurred. he stopped, someone tugging at his pant leg.

He looked down, seeing Onion. "Huh? What is it?" Sour Cream knelt before his step brother.

Onion pointed towards the boat with a harpoon gun on it.

"What about it?" Sour Cream asked, and Union pointed towards the ship flying from the sky. That hand seemed like despair in a physical form...

"... Union, there is no way-" Union gave some sort of puppy dog eyes, stopping Sour Cream in his tracks.

"... No, Union. It's not happening. If you get hurt Dad'll-"

Union pointed towards Sadie and Lars running towards the beach, Sadie holding her spear. He looked back to Sour Cream, then held out a piece of paper.

Sour Cream took the paper, arching a brow at it. It read the word 'coward'.

"... Dad's going to kill me..." Sour Cream muttered, looking to the boat.

* * *

Jenny and Buck drove through the city. "Now where is Sour Cream?" Jenny wondered aloud, and Buck shrugged.

"Maybe he's already out of the city." Buck said, before glancing at the boat moving towards the beach.

With Union manning the harpoon gun.

"I think I might know where he is." Buck pointed, and Jenny's eyes widened.

"Oh we've gotta get in on this."

* * *

The ground shook as the green hand came to a stop on the beach, and Steven stood strong before it, Greg and Connie standing behind him. On the porch of the house Lion stood, glaring at the hand.

Connie held her sword up, ready for battle. Greg had a metal baseball bat and a case full of golf clubs on his back.

"S-so this is really it, huh?" Greg asked nervously, glancing at Steven.

"It's not the end, if that's what you're asking. We've just gotta hold them off until the gems are ready." Steven grinned despite the fear welling inside of him.

"Well..." Greg laughed. "I must be crazy for being out here, but I can't just leave some kids to protect the city." His laugh was nervous.

"Steven!"

Steven looked to see Sadie and Lars running down the beach towards them. "Sadie?! Lars?!" Steven exclaimed in shock. Lars was holding a wooden baseball bat that had hastily had nails put through it.

"We came to help! Where are the Gems?" Sadie questioned, and Steven shook his head.

"All of them are currently down and out." Steven laughed nervously, and Lars' eyes widened.

"... We're all gonna die, aren't we?" He asked, his shoulders dropping.

"That depends on you're answers, filthy humans." That voice was way too cheery for that sentence.

They all looked up to see that the palm of the ship had opened, and five gems stood on it. At the front stood Sunstone and Moonstone, and behind them stood a line going Emerald, Amazonite, and Tiger from left to right.

* * *

Ruby and Sapphire watched through the window eagerly, seeming to shake as they did.

"I don't care if we're ready or not, we have to fuse now!" Ruby said, looking to Sapphire, who shook her head, looking at the gems on the counter and then to Amethyst and Pearl.

"It will be okay. We can wait exactly four minutes." She said, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

Ruby growled, slamming her fist into the wall.

* * *

"Uh... Are those two in the front children?" Greg asked, arching a brow at Steven.

"I'm more concerned with the four armed one in the back." Lars confessed, shaking.

"Aw, look. They made a little defense force to meet us." Tiger grinned.

"Okay before we play the demoralize the meat bags game, let's get the information out of them." Emerald rolled his eyes.

"Now now Emerald..." Moonstone grinned.

"I wanna play with them first!" Sunstone smiled cheerily, holding her hands in front of her at her lap and tilting her head to the side.

"Tell us where the Gems are. All of them." Amazonite said, glaring at the human defense force.

"If you wanna get to them, you have to go through us!" Steven's shield appeared as he spoke, glaring at the Homeworld Gems.

In the next instant, Sunstone had appeared before Steven, making him stumble back slightly. Sunstone giggled.

"You're the one with Rose's Gem!" She smiled, and Moonstone suddenly came from behind her, grinning with his sharp teeth.

"We wanna play with you first." Moonstone spoke before suddenly ducking, a baseball bat swinging over his head.

"That was rude." Moonstone said, suddenly on Greg's back!

Greg jumped with fear, suddenly grabbing at Moonstone, who easily dodged around his hands, pulling out his dagger.

"Bye bye tubby!" Sunstone grinned as Moonstone's dagger came down.

The dagger was stopped however, on Connie's sword. "Not so fast." Connie said, glaring at Moonstone, who's eyes widened with joy as his grin spread.

"Humans are just so..." Moonstone jumped from Greg, landing behind Connie. "Interesting!"

He thrust his dagger forward, but Connie turned, blocking the blade and jumping back. Moonstone shot forward at her, and their blades collided once again.

"Connie!" Steven exclaimed, running towards her. A whistling sound entered his ears, and he quickly held up his shield, blocking the arrow that had been shot at him.

The arrow exploded into flames upon impact, and Steven winced under the heat. Sunstone grinned, pulling back another arrow.

"Ah ah, you shouldn't interrupt Moonstone's fights. He gets real cranky..." Sunstone giggled before suddenly back flipping, Sadie's spear going through the air where she had once stood.

Sunstone grinned, aiming her arrow at the back of Sadie's head as she jumped.

"Sadie! Look out!" Lars slammed his baseball bat into Sunstone's side, groaning as he threw her aside with it!

Sunstone's eyes widened, but her grin remained as she landed on one hand, her bow disappearing as she jumped up, landing on her feet. "Lucky shot, you waste of space." She said cheerily.

"That's a pretty big mouth for such a little girl." Lars wasn't sure why he was smirking, maybe it was because he was the first to land a hit on one of these Gems.

Sadie and Lars stood side by side, ready for Sunstone's next attack. "I'm going to gut you like a fish." Sunstone jumped into the air, coming down at the two with one foot raised.

Lars blocked the foot with his bat, but the sudden force made the sand explode below him, and he was thrown into the ground.

"Lars!" Sadie exclaimed in shock, glaring at Sunstone. Sunstone's grin stretched further across her face, her eyes closed as per usual.

"Come at me, you filthy meat bag."

* * *

Ruby looked anxiously at the clock. It had been three minutes. "Come on Sapphire, we've gotta-" She was cut off, a glow coming into the room.

"Oh great!" Ruby exclaimed, Matrix's Gem lifting into the air. Matrix was reformed, landing on his hands and knees.

"Well... That was something. Wait, where the hell am I?" He looked up at Ruby and Sapphire.

* * *

Sadie shot at Sunstone, who jumped up, spinning and kicking her in the side!

Sadie shot across the sand, bouncing and skipping across it before eventually coming to a stop, cut up and bruised.

Lion shot from the porch, roaring at Sunstone. she elegantly back flipped away from the blast that the roar sent, landing on her feet as Lion landed, growling at her.

Lion was suddenly thrown back at the house, slamming through the porch.

Lion lifted his head, looking to see Tiger standing on the railing, licking her hand. She seemed to be becoming more tiger-like.

"Show me what you've got, cuddly."

* * *

"... I see." Matrix said, looking at the two short gems before him. They had just explained the situation, and Matrix was clearly thinking.

"Tiger is here too, huh? Well..." Matrix cracked his knuckles. "Looks like I've got a bit of catching up to do."

"Wait." Ruby interrupted. "How do we know you're on our side?"

As Matrix was about to answer, a glowing filled the room. "What the?" Matrix ran to the window, seeing the hand lifting into the air and aiming at the humans much like Peridot's ship had.

* * *

"I'm done watching." Emerald said, rolling his eyes as the others sighed, jumping back from the fighting.

Tiger had pinned Lion under her foot, and Moonstone had tired Connie out.

"What's it doing..?" Lars winced, helping Sadie stand.

Just as the ship rose into the air, however, a loud bang was heard, and a harpoon shot at Emerald!

Emerald jumped aside, accidentally pressing a button on the pad he held, making the ship fire the charged blast off into the distance.

"Who the hell-" Emerald turned, seeing Union grinning and waving at him from the boat. The harpoon was suddenly violently reeled back into the cannon.

"That little..." Emerald grit his teeth.

* * *

Sapphire suddenly grabbed Ruby, pulling her into a dance. The two formed a ball of light, and Garnet was formed once more.

"About time you showed up." Matrix said to Garnet, who smirked.

"I could say the same to you." Garnet crossed her arms, smirking before jumping out the door.

Matrix was about to follow her, when another glow filled the room. He turned, seeing Peridot's gem floating up.

Peridot reformed, landing shakily on her feet. "Whoa... It's been awhile since I had to do that..." She looked around.

"Where are we?"

* * *

Amazonite looked like she was about to jump at Sour Cream's boat, when Garnet shot forward, slamming her fist into the other fusion's jaw, throwing her into the water.

"Ah, finally! Someone more fun than these humans." Moonstone grinned, not even looking at Connie as he held back her blade.

"Don't ignore me!" Connie said suddenly, pulling her blade back, stabbing at Moonstone's head.

Moonstone suddenly held her blade in his hand, grinning as blood trickled down the blade. "Aw, so close."

Moonstone pulled back his dagger, grinning as he thrust forward. Steven suddenly shot in the way, blocking with his shield and wincing as he was pushed back, pushing Connie back as well.

The two fell, and Moonstone loomed over them.

The small gem was suddenly hit across the face with a metal baseball bat, flying through the air and landing in the sand.

"Hows that for rude, you little creep?!" Greg said, smirking. That was, until Moonstone sat up.

* * *

"It's about time they got here. Come on." Peridot walked towards the door, but Matrix stopped her.

"No, I'm not going back." Matrix said.

"... You're really doing this." Peridot said, crossing her arms.

"Don't you get it, Peridot? They're the bad guys! We shouldn't be helping them."

"These Earthlings have gotten to you, Matrix. A little while on Homeworld and you'll be back to-"

"No. I'm not going back. Now decide, Peridot. Are you going with them?" Matrix crossed his arms.

"Or are you staying here with me and them?"

* * *

The Crystal Gems and Humans all stood on one side, the Homeworld Gems standing at the other side. Amazonite had climbed from the water.

All was silent, and before anyone did or said anything, footsteps were heard.

Peridot and Matrix walked slowly down the stair way towards the fight. Matrix stopped, standing next to Garnet. Peridot continued walking, neither of them saying goodbyes as she reached the Homeworld Gem line.

"Matrix, what are you doing?!" Tiger called, and Matrix said nothing.

"He's staying." Peridot said, walking towards the ship. "Let's just go."

Emerald shrugged. "I really don't feel like watching this anyway." Emerald followed her in.

"Alright Matrix, we've had our laughs now get in the ship." Tiger demanded, but Matrix shook his head.

"I'm done being Yellow Diamond's damn pawn. I'm sick of living somewhere that isn't my home. And I'm sick of dealing with people like you every day!" Matrix stepped forward as Tiger did.

"... You know, Matrix... We don't like it when people betray Yellow Diamond." Moonstone grinned, his hair covering his eyes.

"And I don't like that Yellow Bitch in general." Matrix smirked, and Moonstone and Sunstone both looked shocked.

"How... Dare you..?" Sunstone asked, her smile faded.

"HOW DARE YOU DEFILE OUR LEADER'S NAME?!" Moonstone suddenly exploded, shooting at Matrix with Sunstone.

* * *

Pearl's eyes slowly opened, and she sat up, stretching and groaning. "What happened..?"

"I think I got stabbed..." Amethyst said, awaking at the same time. An explosion rang outside, and the two jumped up, seeing Garnet and Matrix standing back to back, fighting off Moonstone and Sunstone.

"Oh that's bad..." Amethyst said, eyes wide.

"What happened while we were out?!"

* * *

Peridot sat next to Emerald in the control room, sighing. "It feels good to be back in one of my ships..."

"Eyup." Emerald sat back in his chair, looking at the screen. It showed Matrix and Garnet trying to fight Sunstone and Moonstone, blurs of yellow and grey shooting by them.

A grey blur shot by Matrix, and a cut appeared on his cheek. Matrix winced, and Garnet suddenly threw him to the ground, reaching out and catching Moonstone by the face.

She caught Sunstone as well, running towards a boulder, raising them into the air and slamming them into it.

Before Matrix could come to help, Tiger shot forward, slamming into him and flying through the air with him on her claw.

"Matrix has really done it this time." Emerald laughed.

"Yeah, but after they knock some sense into him and we take him back to Homeworld, I'm sure he'll come to his senses." Peridot shrugged.

"Take him back?" Emerald laughed. "After what he said? No way. Moonstone and Sunstone are gonna kill him if Tiger doesn't do it first. Matrix isn't getting out of this alive."

Peridot's eyes widened. "But... He's a lieutenant with Tiger. They wouldn't just kill someone that important..."

"Are you and I talking about the same pair of psycho gems?" Emerald arched a brow at Peridot, who's hands clenched into fists.

"... Damn it, Matrix..." She stood, walking through the door out of the room.

"Hey, Peridot, what are you doing?" Emerald jumped up, following after Peridot.

"Plans have changed. Looks like I'm staying on Earth." Peridot said, walking towards the way out. Emerald suddenly jumped in front of her.

"I don't know what's gotten into you, Peri." A green energy blade suddenly appeared around Emerald's hand. "But I can't let you pass."

"Emerald," She held up her arm, which formed a cannon. "Let me through."

"Now."

* * *

Opal and Amazonite collided, their fists slamming into one another. Opal pulled back one leg, sending a kick at Amazonite, who blocked, growling as she pulled a club from one of her gems.

Opal jumped back, summoning her bow as Amazonite charged, holding two large clubs.

* * *

Sunstone and Moonstone grinned, standing before Garnet in a line. Moonstone was in front.

"Is it time, Moonstone?" Sunstone asked, and Moonstone nodded.

"Yes. The Solar Eclipse must come." Moonstone grinned, and the two suddenly moved towards each other, the wind shifting and being forced away from them as they morphed together.

But instead of turning into a white ball of energy, they turned black, soon taking form.

It stood about a foot and a half over Garnet, only having two arms and two eyes. One eye was fully black, the other fully white. The gem in it's forehead was not that of Moonstone or Sunstone, it was a whole new gem.

It almost resembled a Solar Eclipse. There was a ring of light around an otherwise pitch black gem. It's body was entirely black, and it didn't seem to have a mouth. It was muscular, and it seemed to be male. It wore no clothes, but it didn't seem like it had anything to cover.

It's face split, a mouth forming as it grinned sadistically.

 **"I am... Eclipse Onyx."**

* * *

 **And so sh!t has begun flying into the fan. This whole thing should take a few more chapters so... Get ready for that. And don't worry, the humans part in the fight isn't quite over yet.  
**

 **So please review, favorite, and follow.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	11. Chapter 11: Beach City Brawl (Part 1)

**Thanks go to TennisCat, The Imprisoned of Hell, Randal435, Amazonian princess, and Guest.**

 **I'm pretty hype for this whole thing and I planned on updating earlier today but my sister had to have her baby today and eeeeeehhhhhh.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe.**

* * *

"So it's come to this, huh?" Tiger spoke, walking in a circle with Matrix, the two facing one another.

Matrix's spear was in hand, and on Tiger's hands gloves with claws at the fingers and brass knuckles had formed. Her fangs had grown out to the extent of a Saber-Tooth Tiger.

"It appears so." Matrix smirked, his right hand clenching into a fist. His left had held the spear steady, and the two shot at one another.

"I always knew you were nothing but a traitor! What, did you find a new human?" Tiger smirked, blocking Matrix's spear with her clawed hands.

Matrix pulled up his foot, kicking his sister in the chest and sending her skidding back across the sand on her feet.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over the fact that your boss is a four year old!" Matrix said as he jumped into the air, coming down at his sister with his spear raised.

* * *

Garnet pulled back both of her fists, slamming them into Eclipse's chest. Eclipse didn't so much as budge, grinning as he pulled his hands into the air, bringing them down with lightning speed and karate chopping Garnet on both sides of her neck.

As Garnet stood dazed, Eclipse grabbed her by her forehead, his grin widening as a pulse of black energy threw the fusion of love back, exploding through the sand.

Garnet groaned, slowly sitting back up and rubbing her head. Her shades were already cracked.

"Come now, don't tell me that's all you've got." Eclipse grinned as he walked slowly towards her.

A loud bang like the one from earlier was heard, and Eclipse held up his hand, catching a harpoon in it! "A valiant effort, little human."

Eclipse pulled on the harpoon, pulling the boat from the water with the chain! "But not valiant enough!" Eclipse brought the ship over his shoulder, slamming it into the ground next to him, blowing sand into the air in a plum of dust.

Luckily, Sour Cream had grabbed Union, jumping off of the boat just in time.

"You alright?" Sour Cream winced, trying to sit up as he let go of Union.

Union nodded slowly, rubbing his head. His eyes widened as he noticed Sour Cream's leg.

It was bent the wrong way.

"Oh, that? It's nothing..." Sour Cream winced, his voice strained. He looked up, a shadow looming over them.

"How sweet." Eclipse said, raising his arm into the air. A ball of black energy formed in his palm, and he prepared to bring it down on the two.

"Don't even think about it!"

Eclipse looked to the side just in time to see a car that almost resembled a pizza delivery car flying into him.

Buck and Jenny jumped out the sides of the car as it slashed into Eclipse, exploding into a ball of fire!

"Got him!" Jenny said, dusting herself off as she stood. She had a couple of scraps, as did Buck, but nothing too serious.

"Nice one Jenny." Sour Cream said, Lars and Sadie dragging him away from the fire. Union stood next to him.

For a moment the humans thought that they'd won. That was until a sickly, dark laughter was heard above the flames.

"That tickled..." Eclipse grinned, his eyes wide as the fire crackled around him.

"What's this guy made of..?" Jenny wondered aloud, backing up slowly as the flaming fusion sauntered towards her and Buck.

A few pops were heard as Buck shot at the fusion, holding a pistol that Jenny quickly recognized as one of his Dad's armed Guards guns.

The bullets bounced off of Eclipse, and he simply waved his hand, sending a wave of energy that threw the two back, skidding through the sand.

Lars roared, slamming his baseball bat into Eclipse's leg. The baseball bat broke, and once again Eclipse didn't budge, only turning to look at Lars.

"... I'm sorry." Lars said, backing away slowly before taking a kick to the abdomen, flying back through the air!

It seemed like more of a nudge from Eclipse's foot than a full blown kick, as a full blown kick probably would have made the human explode on impact.

But the force of the hit still mad Lars lie in the dirt, groaning in pain. Blood seeped from his mouth.

* * *

Peridot ran up the wall of the ship, blasting at Emerald, who easily cut through the blasts.

"You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that, Peri!" Emerald shot at Peridot, pulling back his blade and stabbing it through the wall that she jumped off of just in time.

Peridot rolled as she hit the ground, standing up quickly and blasting at Emerald, who still cut through the blasts with ease.

"I told you not to call me that, Emerald!" Peridot's fingers spun, and small bursts shot from them like some kind of mini-gun.

Emerald's blade spread into an energy shield, blocking the blasts. "What are you gonna do about it?"

* * *

Opal shot at Amazonite as she dodged the clubs, maneuvering easily and elegantly, shooting an arrow into the other fusions abdomen.

Amazonite stumbled back slightly, grabbing the arrow and pulling it from her flesh with ease. She growled, holding her clubs to the side as she rocketed at Opal once again.

Opal was smacked across the face with one club, the other slamming into her side and throwing her to the right.

Opal skidded across the dirt, trying to stand from her hands and knees. But before she could stand, heavy footsteps were heard, and another club smashed into her chin, throwing her into the air.

Amazonite caught her by the foot, spinning and throwing her across the sand and into the water!

* * *

"Having Earthlings fight you're battles for you, huh?" Eclipse asked as Garnet climbed to her feet.

Garnet snarled, shooting at Eclipse with one fist forward. Eclipse easily stepped by the fist, bringing his knee up into Garnet's abdomen, grinning wickedly as blood spewed from her mouth.

"It just goes to show." Eclipse caught Garnet by the hair as she fell, throwing her into the air. "No matter how hard you fight," As Garnet fell, Eclipse pulled his fist back.

"Your little rebellion is pointless!" Eclipse slammed his fist into Garnet's chest, throwing her back through the air and into the water.

Garnet's body was numb with pain as she slowly began to sink into the water.

Eclipse smirked as he watched her sink, before feeling something snap across his head. He looked up, realizing Connie had tried to stab him. Her sword had broken.

He grinned, reaching up and grabbing the sword fighting human by the throat. "Oh so close." Connie struggled to breath, kicking her feet and digging her nails into Eclipse's hand.

Sadie roared, slamming her spear into Eclipse's back. The spear shattered into multiple chunks of wood, and Eclipse turned to her slowly, grinning.

Eclipse slammed Connie's nearly unconscious body into Sadie, watching as sand plumed into the air from the force of the impact.

"It's amusing how hard you Earthlings try. And for what?" Eclipse grinned, raising his foot to rush the two.

"If every pork chop were prefect, we wouldn't have hot dogs!"

"Huh?" Eclipse looked up, seeing a beam of light shooting at him from the deck. "Uh oh..."

The beam hit the dark fusion, forcing him back through the sand. Greg grit his teeth, yelling the phrase again and again as the Laser Light Cannon continued to blast Eclipse.

Steven quickly grabbed Connie and Sadie, bringing them into the house. Lars and Sour Cream were laid down. Sour Cream's leg had been set, and he know laid unconscious.

Lars was being bandaged, barely conscious as Jenny and Buck helped him. Union sat worriedly next to Sour Cream, his hands clenched into fists.

Steven set Sadie down, and as he set Connie down she grabbed him by the shirt. "Steven, I have an idea..."

* * *

Matrix and Tiger collided once again, fist slamming into fist. Their weapons were gone, but they'd both kept claws and fangs, shooting quickly at one another again and again.

"Why do you insist on defying us, Matrix?!" Tiger asked, her fist slamming into Matrix's face as his slammed into hers.

"Why do you insist on following them, Tiger?!" Matrix asked, pulling back his foot and slamming it into Tiger's chin, throwing her into the air.

He jumped up, sticking his fingers out as he slammed them through his sister's chest, blood flying through the air.

Tiger hit the ground, bouncing once before stopping, motionless.

Matrix landed in front of her, spitting on her motionless body. "Get up, I know you aren't done."

Tiger was suddenly up, grabbing Matrix by the throat and digging her claws into Matrix's throat, holding him up. "You're nothing but a disrespectful brat!" Tiger pulled back her hand, her claw's growing as she aimed for Matrix's left eye.

"And you're nothing but a pawn!" Matrix shot forward, sinking his teeth into his sister's neck.

Tiger growled, kicking Matrix off. They both stood, panting as their necks bled.

"So... This is what's become of us, brother?"

"It appears so, sister."

* * *

Emerald walked slowly towards Peridot, the blasts bouncing off of his shield. "You can't beat me, Peri." He grinned, his hand returning to a blade and shooting forward, slashing through Peridot's chest, making her stumble back into the wall, panting and wincing.

"Sure if this was a dog fight or something, you'd have a much better chance. But when it comes to hand to hand combat," Emerald grabbed Peridot, pulling her up by the collar of her shirt.

"I'm the superior!" He thrust his blade forward, when a blast suddenly hit him, making him fall.

"You forget..." Peridot said, slowly picking herself up. A small sentry gun had came out of the wall behind her, and she smirked. "This is my ship."

* * *

Opal shot from the water, pulling her bow string back and firing one giant arrow at Amazonite. As Amazonite prepared to dodge, the arrow split into ten arrows, and pelted the evil fusion.

Opal landed about ten feet from Amazonite, pulling back her bow string. Amazonite stomped slowly from the dust plum that the barrage of arrows had created, an arrow sticking from her right arm and left leg. One was stuck in her abdomen, and the others only seemed to have grazed her.

Opal shot, her arrow piercing Amazonite's chest. She didn't stop. Opal's eyes widened slightly and she pulled back another arrow, firing.

Once again, the arrow did nothing to Amazonite, sticking through her left forearm. Opal fired again and again, and Amazonite only got closer, pulling her clubs back once again.

Opal fired directly in between Amazonite's eyes as her clubs slammed into the sides of her head! They both fell back, flashing as they came apart.

* * *

"Alright, I've had just about enough of that." Eclipse appeared before Greg, slamming one fist into the Laser Light Cannon. The Lazer Light Cannon exploded under the force of the blow, crashing through the deck.

Greg watched as the cannon exploded through the deck, his eyes wide. She'd left that to him... She'd wanted him to protect their son with it...

Greg's hands clenched into fists, and he suddenly shot forward, slamming his fist into Eclipse's face. For once, the mighty fusion budged, his head turning. Blood dripped from his mouth.

Greg roared in anger, slamming his fists into Eclipse's face again and again. His knuckles bleed, and he pulled his baseball bat out, breaking it over the fusion's head. He pulled out every golf club, breaking each of them on the Dark Fusion's skull.

As Eclipse was pushed to the railing, Greg pulled one foot back, slamming it into his chest and throwing the already off balance Fusion through the railing and onto the sand below.

Greg panted, blood from his hands dripping onto the deck. "Did... Did I do it..?" He wondered aloud.

His eyes widened, and blood seeped from his mouth. As he fell, all he heard was that laughter. A black beam of energy had shot through his chest.

"Dad!" Steven shot through the door of the house, grabbing his dad, who laid cold. Tears welled up in his eyes.

He looked, and he saw Eclipse walking over the water that Garnet had sunk into.

"Hey hey, I'm not done playing yet." Eclipse said, pulling Garnet from the water. "Aren't you like... The Leader now?" Eclipse threw her motionless body back onto the beach, watching as she bounced and slid, sand being thrown into the air.

 _Is this really all I can do..?_ Garnet thought, hearing Eclipse's footsteps getting closer. _Is this really all we can do..?_

Eclipse held Garnet up by the back of her shirt. "I honestly thought you'd be more fun than the others. The fat one put up more fight than you."

 _Is this all we are..?_

 _A song singer than can no longer sing..._

Steven cried over his father, burying his face in his chest. Greg lay motionless, his heart coming to a slow.

 _A broken man..._

Matrix picked himself up off of the sand, panting as his sister shot at him once again, digging her claws into his chest. Blood spewed from his chest and mouth as he was thrown into the air.

 _A child who can't smile anymore..._

Steven slammed his fist into the ground over his father. His tears seemed to glimmer as they hit his father's wound.

 _A samurai without a blade... A glutton who cannot eat anymore..._

The shadows of Feldspar and Fluorite loomed over Pearl and Amethyst, who were both unconscious.

 _A bunch of young one's with their boldness used up..._

Jenny and Buck moved quickly, trying to attend to all of the injured. But there was too much, and not enough supplies.

 _And a leader who was never meant to lead..._

Eclipse held up his free hand, a ball of black appearing in his palm as he prepared to blast Garnet. as he prepared to do so, the picture of Rose Quartz above the door in Steven's house fell, shattering on the floor.

 _But I feel as thought I'm forgetting someone..._

Eclipse was distracted, looking up to see Emerald's ship lifting up and taking aim on him.

 _Oh... Right..._

Peridot smirked, clicking the circle she'd made on her finger screen while the sentry guns held off Emerald. The beam fired from the ship at Eclipse, who's eyes widened.

He threw Garnet to the side, holding up both of his hands. A black barrier appeared around him, the beam hitting the barrier and causing an explosion that shook the earth.

 _A cold savior..._

Garnet smirked as she laid on the ground, watching as Eclipse's barrier began to break. He knew there was only one explanation.

 _Damn you, Peridot!_

The barrier broke and an explosion rocked the land. Dust covered the beach.

* * *

"I can't believe I just saved all of those Crystal Clods..." Peridot sighed, before hearing a crash, looking to her side to see Emerald cutting through a sentry gun, running towards her with a glare.

"And for what?" She wondered aloud, jumped to the side to avoid Emerald's blade. "See Emerald, this is your problem,"

Emerald snarled, slashing at her once again. Peridot avoided again, blasting Emerald in the side, throwing him to the ground.

"You're either to calm or too angry." Peridot took aim on Emerald, who stood slowly, cracking his neck as a blade appeared over his other hand.

* * *

"What is Emerald doing?!" Tiger said, glancing at the ship. Her eyes widened as she heard laughter.

"Peridot, you crazy bitch..." Matrix laughed, forcing himself to his feet as blood dripped from his mouth.

"... Of course." Tiger turned to Matrix. "I didn't think you'd be able to get to Peridot of all people, but it doesn't matter. Not even a blast from that ship can kill Eclipse."

"I didn't think so either..." Matrix pulled his spear from his eye, wiping blood from his lip. "Maybe she's not as bad as I thought she was."

"Aw."

"Shut up!"

* * *

Steven had finally managed to stop crying, when a hand reached up, wiping a tear from his cheek.

Steven's eyes widened, and he realized his father was smiling up at him. "You really are a lot like your mom." Greg said, and Steven realized the hole in his chest had healed.

"I... I got my healing powers back!"

* * *

The dust explosion hit, and Matrix and Tiger had to rely only on their hearing to find where the other was.

"Come out come out wherever you are..." Tiger's voice was close, and Matrix smirked, through his spear in that direction.

"Gah!" He heard her yell. "What the hell was that?!" She said. Clearly she'd dodged.

Matrix pulled a double edged spear from his eye, shooting off the ground in Tiger's direction.

* * *

Garnet had managed to sit herself against a rock, blind in the dust. She could feel that Eclipse was alive, but she didn't know where he was. That was, until she looked up at the black streak shooting towards Emerald's ship.

"Uh-oh..."

* * *

Emerald slashed at Peridot once again, and she just barely ducked, placing her cannon on his abdomen and firing, blasting him back across the hallway.

"Just give up!" They yelled at one another in unison.

Suddenly the ship shook, and a black energy exploded through the floor.

"Oh you're gonna get it now!" Emerald grinned, before the black energy shot out at him, stabbing through his chest. His eyes widened before he exploded to just his gem.

"Be glad I don't kill you Emerald..." Eclipse said, stepping past the gem towards Peridot.

"As for you..." His grin ripped across his face again.

* * *

The dust began to clear, and Matrix and Tiger collided again, both of them panting for breath. Both of them were beaten to a bloody pulp, but they still circled one another.

"Let's just... Stop this fighting. I'm sure I can convince Eclipse to forgive you-" Tiger was cut off, a spear shooting through her shoulder.

"I'm. Not. Going. Back." Matrix placed his foot on her chest, kicking and sending her off of the spear. Her arm remained on the spear.

"... Matrix, you fool-" Tiger was cut off as she exploded into her gem.

Matrix fell to his knees, panting as he coughed blood onto the sand. "Well... Now I should probably go throw myself at-" Matrix was cut off, an explosion coming from the sky.

He looked up, seeing Emerald's ship falling towards the ground. Emeralds gem fell, landing next to Tiger's.

 **"... Eclipse."  
**

* * *

 **And that's the chapter! This might not be as many chapters as I thought, but it will certainly end well enough.  
**

 **Maybe.**

 **Bwuha... Bwuhahaha... BWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA**

 **HA- Agh, erm, I mean... Uh...**

 **Anyway, I was in such a rush to post this that I kinda didn't proof read it so... Sorry. I know I should have but I really DID NOT wanna.**

 **Again, sorry. But I got a solid twenty minutes of sleep and I still need to do things.**

 **Like start typing next chapter.**

 **I don't have a problem though.**

 **Trust me.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	12. Chapter 12: Beach City Brawl (Part 2)

**Thanks go to Cfintimidator, The Imprisoned of Hell, Randal435, and Guest.**

 **My updating schedule might be changing. I'll probably be updating later at night than usual. (Night for my time zone, anyway.)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

Eclipse grinned, floating above the falling ship as he held Peridot by the throat, watching as she struggled in his grip. She didn't need air, but Eclipse was crushing her throat.

"You're a fool to have betrayed me, Peridot. I never would've thought that you of all people would do such a thing." Eclipse said, and one of Peridot's eyes opened.

"Yeah, well-" Peridot struggled, choking between words. "I guess I'm not as predictable as you thought!" She held up her cannon, firing a wave of energy into Eclipse's face.

The blast came to a stop after about ten seconds, and Eclipse stood unscathed, laughing.

"Ah crap..." Peridot said, her cannon falling before Eclipse dropped her, raising his left palm to the sky. A black ball of energy formed in it.

* * *

Fluorite and Feldspar looked identical, both of them standing hunched with one eye. They both had Amazonite's hair, and stood at about four feet tall. their features were almost masculine, though they were both females.

"Well, it's been fun." Feldspar held up Amethyst, raising her club. Just before she swung, however, something smashed into the side of her face, throwing her to the side and through the sand.

"Who-" Fluorite was cut off, taking a foot to the jaw and going flying back through the air.

Amethyst's eyes slowly opened, before widening. Before her stood Stevonnie, holding Steven's Shield and Rose's sword, most likely retrieved from Lion's Mane.

"Come on you two, you aren't gonna go down that easily, are you?" Stevonnie smirked as the two stood, Fluorite rubbing her chin.

"And just who are you?" Feldspar asked, holding her club firm.

"Not important." Stevonnie held her sword out to the side. "All you need to know is that you can't hope to beat me!"

* * *

Matrix's eyes widened, realizing Eclipse was holding Peridot. "Oh this is bad..."

His eyes jumped from the falling ship to Peridot as she was dropped, and a bit of panic crept into him as he realized that Eclipse had a ball of black energy in his hand.

"Oh this is so bad..!"

Matrix found himself bursting off the sand as fast as his feet would carry him towards the motionless Peridot. He wasn't sure why exactly he had to get there, but he knew full well that he had to.

"This is so stupid this is so stupid this is so stupid!" He repeated towards his own actions as he jumped into the air, catching Peridot as Eclipse fired the blast.

"Matrix..?" Peridot's eyes opened slightly.

"Shut up and keep your head down!" Matrix ordered, quickly covering her with his body as the blast hit, Matrix's back facing it.

"Matrix what are you- No!" Peridot's words were drowned out in the blast.

 _I hate myself._ Matrix thought calmly, taking the full force of the blast.

All he heard other than the blast was that disgusting laughter...

* * *

Stevonnie sliced through the wood club with ease, smirking as she sliced through Feldspar. When they weren't fused, the two were unbelievably weak.

Feldspar's gem fell to the sand, and Stevonnie blocked Fluorite's club, kicking her back and jumping skyward, coming down with her sword on Fluorite.

Stevonnie sliced through the Cyclops Gem with ease, landing behind her with a smirk.

Her smirk faded as that horrible laughter hit her ears, and she looked up to see Matrix and Peridot falling from the sky, smoke spiraling off of Matrix's torn up back.

"Uh oh..."

* * *

The two gems hit the ground, bouncing and letting go of one another.

"Ugh..." Peridot groaned, looking up from the sand at Matrix, who lay motionless, face in the sand. His cloak had been burnt away, and his shirt was just about gone. The hole in his back was spread wide.

"Why did you..?" Was all she could manage to say, dazed from the suddenness of the incident. It had all happened so fast.

"I am you're body guard, after all..." Matrix forced himself to his hands and knees, smirking at Peridot, who was shocked he could even move.

"Well isn't that sweet." Eclipse landed about five feet from them as Matrix forced himself to his feet, standing between Eclipse and Peridot.

"Shut... Up..." Matrix struggled to pull his spear from his eye, stumbling slightly. "I'll... Kick your ass..."

Eclipse laughed, holding his stomach as tears seemed to form in his eyes from laughing so hard. "You're... You're so pathetic... I just..." Eclipse struggled to speak through his laughter.

"Says the one who hits like a bit-" Matrix was interrupted by a fit of coughs, blood coming from his throat into his hand. "Oh god I'm in pain..." Matrix said, looking at his bloody hand.

"Matrix, stop! You're killing yourself, just get back in your gem and heal!" Peridot said, climbing to her feet. Matrix shook his head.

"I can... Handle it..." Matrix stumbled, blood dripping from his mouth.

"I'm not going to lie, I liked having you around, Matrix." Eclipse grabbed Matrix by the throat, pulling him into the air. Matrix tried to stab him, but the stab had no force behind it, so it resulted as more of a poke.

"You try so hard and it just never pays off." Eclipse laughed as Matrix dropped his spear, barely able to hold onto his physical form. His entire body was going numb, and all he felt was pain.

"You try to squirm away from us, but it never works." Eclipse reached for Matrix's gem eye. "You try to protect those you care for, and they end up dead."

Eclipse grabbed Matrix's gem. "You can't even accept the fact that no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you squirm, You're always left behind. You always get the short end of the stick. And now you're going to die."

Eclipse's hold on Matrix's gem tightened. "You're going to die motionless and alone!"

Eclipse looked as if he was about to crush Matrix's gem, when his eyes widened.

"You've got a big mouth, you know that?" Peridot said, holding Matrix's spear.

It was going through Eclipse's abdomen and out his back.

"..." Eclipse dropped Matrix, his laughter returning. Peridot's eyes widened.

"I suppose in those aspects you and Matrix have become the same." Eclipse pulled back one hand, back handing Peridot across the beach!

"I'm not gonna lie Peri, that one stung." Eclipse grabbed the spear, pulling it from his abdomen and breaking it over his knee.

"This is getting ridiculous..." Peridot groaned, lying against the boulder she'd been thrown into.

"I would hope you understand how hopeless it is now, Peridot? How entirely pointless trying to fight it was?" Eclipse walked towards her, and she weakly lifted her cannon, firing her minigun while firing blasts.

The bullets bounced off, and the blasts seemed to just break apart upon impact with Eclipse.

Just before Eclipse could reach Peridot, however, something slammed directly into his face, throwing him backwards, bouncing, flipping, and skidding.

Garnet stood before Peridot, Pearl and Amethyst landing next to her. "Crystal Gems, attack!" She said, and all three of them shot forward at Eclipse, who was picking himself up off the ground.

* * *

"You alright?" Stevonnie asked, helping Matrix sit up.

"How did you..." Matrix's eyes focused on her face, and he looked almost shocked. "... Steven?"

"And Connie." Stevonnie responded with a smile.

"The hell is a Connie?" Matrix asked, confused.

"We'll, er, I'll show you after the fight." Stevonnie said as Matrix stood, stretching his newly healed body.

"You're talking like we're going to win..." Matrix looked over, watching the Crystal Gems fight Eclipse.

They weren't exactly winning...

"Once I heal everyone, I'd say we've got a good shot." Stevonnie said optimistically.

"Hm..." Matrix glanced over at Peridot before looking back to Stevonnie.

"I think I have an idea..."

* * *

Eclipse side stepped Pearl's blade, bringing up one fist to smash her down with. A whip quickly wrapped around his arm, pulling on it and stopping him from smacking Pearl.

Eclipse yawned, pulling on the whip and yanking Amethyst into the air. As Amethyst soared through the air, she transformed into her wrestling form, leg dropping On Eclipse. "Purple Puma with the leg drop!"

Eclipse caught Purple Puma by the legs, smirking lightly as he began to spin, letting go of her and throwing her out towards the water.

Garnet jumped, landing on Amethyst and jumping off of her, stopping Amethyst's rocketing towards the ocean and rocketing herself further into the air, coming down towards Eclipse with one fist pulled back.

Eclipse was distracted by Pearl jumping into the air, slicing and stabbing at him. He was surprised when Garnet's fist slammed into his cheek, throwing him into the ground.

Eclipse laughed, climbing to his feet. "You know, you're all so much more fun to play with when you're all together." Eclipse grinned, catching Garnet's fist and lifting her from the ground, slamming her down into the sand.

"But you're all still so fragile..." He shook his head, watching as Garnet struggled to get out of the crater he'd put her in.

Pearl roared, jumping at Eclipse, who held up one hand, a pulse of darkness coming from it and hitting Pearl, throwing her back across the beach.

Eclipse turned to Amethyst, his grin widening. But before he could make some sort of threat, he heard a whistling noise.

Eclipse's head suddenly jerked to the side, something that looked like a harpoon shooting by where his head had been moments ago.

"Now who the hell would be dumb enough to-" Eclipse's eyes widened as he turned to see what had shot at him.

Tanzanite stood, holding his Harpoon Gun with a calm expression. He gave a two fingered wave.

"Hey."

* * *

"Are you guys seeing this?!" Lars said, watching from the window as Tanzanite appeared in a burst of light.

"What is that thing?" Sadie said, watching as his Harpoon Gun appeared in his hands.

"Is that what Matrix and Peridot fuse into?!" Greg said in shock, and everyone looked at him.

"Oh... Right. You guys don't know about that stuff..."

* * *

"That's so cool..." Stevonnie said, watching as Tanzanite and Eclipse went toe to toe.

Tanzanite pulled back one fist, slamming it into Eclipse's face, making him stumble back.

"So what? You fused? You really think it's gonna make a difference-" Eclipse was cut off as another fist slammed into his face.

"I'm just gonna let that one slide-" Eclipse was cut off, another fist slamming into his face.

"You gonna fight or run your mouth?" Tanzanite asked the smaller fusion.

"I'm going to-" Eclipse was punched again. He roared in anger, jumping up and slamming both feet into Tanzanite's chest, sending him skidding back across the ground.

Tanzanite stopped himself, regaining his balance just in time to see Eclipse rushing him, jumping and spinning, kicking him across the face, sending him stumbling back, the ground shaking under him.

Eclipse jumped up to be over the giant fusion, pulling his hands into the air as a ball of black appeared in them.

He brought his hands down, firing in Tanzanite's face, a black wave of energy engulfing his head.

As Eclipse was firing, a hand reached up, grabbing him by the abdomen and pulling him into the air, jumping high into the air before rocketing down, slamming Eclipse into a large boulder.

Dust was thrown into the air, but Tanzanite could still feel the dangerous fusion in his hand.

A blast suddenly shot from the dust, hitting Tanzanite in his right eye.

"Gah!" Tanzanite let go of Eclipse, grabbing his eye and backing up slowly.

Eclipse shot up, slamming his fist into Tanzanite's chest, knocking him off balance and slamming him into the ground.

"Pathetic!" Eclipse shot into the air, holding his arms out straight at his sides before forcing them together, opening his palms.

A barrage of beams shot from his palms, slamming into Tanzanite's chest and face, slamming him further into the ground.

As Eclipse shot dust filled the air. His vision obscured, Eclipse barely dodged the crossbow bolt that shot at him, slicing open his cheek.

"Damn dirty fusion..." Eclipse snarled, floating over the unseen fusion. "It can't even condense it's power... It's disgusting..."

As Eclipse floated, a barrage of crossbow bolts shot from the smoke, slicing through his skin as he held up two arms to block. A barrier of black appeared around him, stopping the bolts.

Tanzanite shot from the smoke, grabbing the ball of black energy around Eclipse, beginning to crush it in his hands.

Eclipse growled, shooting from the barrier as it smashed. He shot forward, slamming his fist into the side of Tanzanite's face, throwing him back through the air.

Tanzanite smashed into the water, slowly rising from it and cracking his neck.

"Just die!" Eclipse said, holding his open palm towards the fusion, firing a beam of black energy at him.

Just as he did, Garnet shot from the ground, slamming one fist into the side of his face, throwing him towards the ground.

There Opal stood, pulling back all four of her arms as Eclipse rocketed towards her.

Eclipse reached her in an instant, and Opal's arms shot forward, her palms slamming into the Dark Fusion and throwing him back skyward.

Stevonnie came down, pulling her blade back with a roar as she reached Eclipse.

"This is for everyone you've hurt here!" Stevonnie roared, slashing past Eclipse, who's eyes widened.

Eclipse's chest opened as he fell towards the Earth, Stevonnie landing on her feet as he crashed behind her.

"And stay off my planet." Stevonnie glanced back at Eclipse, who lay motionless in the sand, black blood seeping from the slash in his chest.

"You... Filthy meat bag..." Laughter was heard, and Eclipse once again climbed to his feet. "Don't you get it? You. Can't. Beat. Me." Eclipse held up one palm, a ball of black energy forming in his palm.

Eclipse's eyes widened as he heard a loud bang, one that he recognized immediately.

Eclipse jumped, another harpoon exploding into the ground where he once stood. It grazed his leg, and the force made him spiral in his jump, slamming on his back into the sand.

"They might not be able to, but I sure as hell can." Tanzanite raised one foot over Eclipse, who's eyes narrowed.

In a flash of black, Tazanite's foot slammed down on nothing, and Eclipse was nowhere to be found.

"Fine, fine." Eclipse floated high above them all. "You win this round." He was holding the Gems of Tiger, Emerald, Fluorite and Feldspar in his hands.

"But I'll be back... You can beat your life on that one!" Eclipse began floating towards the atmosphere, and Tanzanite growled, shooting up at him.

"No you don't!" Tanzanite said, reaching to smack the dark fusion down. In an instant, Eclipse fired a beam from his palm, and it sliced through Tanzanite's arm, making it fall towards the Earth, exploding into nothing.

"Gah!" Tanzanite fell back towards the ground, exploding into a plume of smoke, Matrix and Peridot falling from it.

 _I'm gonna kill that smug son of a-_ Matrix's train of thought was cut off as he collided with the ground head first, jarring his head and knocking him unconscious instantly.

* * *

"Ugh..." Matrix groaned, his eyes opening slowly. He had a splitting headache. He looked around the room, recognizing it as Steven's home.

"What happened..?" He sat up, rubbing his head. He looked around the room, seeing that all of the human's were gone. Peridot sat at the counter, Garnet Amethyst and Pearl all stood, and Steven sat resting on his bed.

"We defused and you knocked yourself out on the ground." Peridot rolled her eyes.

"And Eclipse got away with all of the others..." Pearl added.

"Fan-freakin'-tastic..." Matrix ran a hand through his hair, sighing as he leaned back on the couch.

* * *

Eclipse looked over the desolate rock he'd stopped on, sighing as his body radiated it's darkness, breaking into two and shrinking.

 _I can't believe we lost to those filthy Crystal Gems..._ Moonstone glared at the blue and green planet below him, his hands clenching into fists.

 _Don't worry brother! Soon we can rain hell upon those filthy, disgusting meat bags!_ Sunstone grinned as she telepathically spoke with her brother.

 _Oh sister, you really are a ray of sunshine._ Moonstone grinned, grabbing hold of his sister and dancing ring around the rosie.

That night the Earth's moon was darker than ever. That night a plot for vengeance began.

* * *

Matrix sat on the roof of Steven's home, staring at the sky. Night had fallen, but the house was alight with the party that Steven kid had insisted on throwing.

He supposed it made sense. They'd defended the Earth without casualties, though there were certainly a few close calls...

 _"You're going to die motionless and alone!"_

Matrix cringed. If Peridot hadn't jumped in there...

Matrix pulled the Looking Gem from his pocket, staring at the smiling picture of Thea in it. "My life flashed before my eyes today..." Was he talking to the image?

 _Motionless..._

"It was disturbing... But for a moment I was happy. I almost got to see you again..." Matrix sighed, placing his head in his hands.

 _Alone..._

Was what Eclipse said true? Was that all he was? A struggling worm in the mouth of a bird? Was he truly alone? Heh... He'd known the answer to that for years now...

Matrix felt someone place something on his head, and looked up to see Peridot sitting next to him, a pointed party hat placed loosely on her head. Undoubtedly placed there by that overly happy kid.

He realized she'd placed an identical one on his head.

"You sick of that party too?" Peridot asked, not bothering to look at Matrix, just staring at the moon with him.

"You could say that." Matrix said, sitting back. He decided to leave the party hat on his head. "The white haired human's music sure is loud..."

"I can't believe we let those clods get away..." Peridot sighed, resting her chin in her hand.

"I can't believe the human kid thought it was something to celebrate." Matrix rolled his eyes, leaning back on his hands.

"Technically he's only half human." Peridot corrected, and Matrix shot her a glare.

"Really? You're really doing that?" Matrix said, clearly annoyed.

"If you don't want to get corrected, don't give false information." Peridot said, sitting back on her hands and crossing her legs.

"Good lord you're irritating..." Matrix rolled his eyes, resting his chin in his hand. They seemed to have switched positions.

"You're not too fun to deal with either."

"Yeah, sure. And I bet you stayed here to tell me that, huh?" Matrix smirked, and Peridot glared at him.

"Maybe I did."

"You're so full of crap!" Matrix stood, and Peridot did as well.

"You think we should stop them?" Steven glanced at Garnet as they watched the two bicker from the deck of the house.

"Well we could, but we'd miss something funny if we did." Garnet said, and Steven's eyes widened in excitement.

"Really?" Steven looked up to the arguing former Homeworld Gems, grinning.

"I can't believe I decided to come back to help you!" Peridot said.

"I can't believe I saved you!" Matrix responded.

"I'm!" Peridot started.

"So!" Matrix continued.

"Sick of you!" They yelled in unison.

There was a moment where both of them said nothing, both seeming to be seething with rage.

In the next instant, Matrix had grabbed Peridot, one arm around her waist as he pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers.

Peridot's eyes widened, but then closed as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Steven's jaw dropped as Garnet looked as though she was holding in laughter.

The two suddenly pulled apart, their eyes wide and their faces red.

"That meant nothing." Peridot said quickly.

"Totally meant nothing." Matrix said just as quickly.

Peridot jumped from the roof, clearly trying to shake it off and going back to the party.

It was at that point that Garnet burst into laughter, and Matrix looked down at the two watching with wide eyes, his face becoming even more red.

"S-shut it!" Matrix demanded, quickly jumping from the roof as well.

Steven managed to push his jaw back into place, and Garnet's laughter slowly came to a stop.

"Garnet..." Steven said, and Garnet looked to him.

"Yes Steven?"

 **"You and I have very different senses of humor..."**

* * *

 **And there you have it. The end of the Beach City Brawl, a bit of foreshadowing for the next big thing, and... Whatever that ending counts as.**

 **As I've seen in the reviews, you guys probably all saw that coming, huh?**

 **In reality, I didn't really mean to ship them, until I got one review that mentioned it, and I read back through the story, and realized that I'd been subconsciously shipping them the whole time.**

 **I knew I was going to ship Matrix with someone, and I accidentally decided Peridot.**

 **So that was cool.**

 **Anyway, please favorite, follow, and review.**

 **XWolf26, out  
**


	13. Chapter 13: Party

**Okay, now before I give any thanks, I'd like to give credit to the Imprisoned of Hell for the character I am adding in, as he gave it to me. Back story and everything. The only thing I thought up was his way of getting to Earth.**

 **Thanks go to** **Cfintimidator, The Imprisoned of Hell, Glitter Spires, Randal435, and ultimatemh** **for their reviews.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

"Alright everybody the DJ's gotta take a little break so just chill for now." Sour Cream spoke into the microphone. The white haired DJ stepped away from the turn tables, sighing and stretching, grabbing his drink.

The entire town was invited to the party, and it seemed to even be going on outside. He realized that Buck and Jenny were outside of the building so he looked around for a familiar face to sit with.

Sour Cream spotted Matrix, who sat on the couch, looking as though he were racking his brain.

"Uh... Hey man." Sour Cream sat next to Matrix.

"Oh, hey Sour Cream. It's been awhile." Matrix was shook from his thoughts, looking up at Sour Cream as he sat down next to him.

"So you're like... One of those gems?" Sour Cream asked, and Matrix smirked lightly.

"If not then I have been horribly mislead." Matrix shrugged, and Sour Cream nodded.

"Cool..." Sour Cream sipped from his drink.

"So uh... Thanks for showing up at the fight. If you guys hadn't shot at Emerald that blast would've messed up the defense." Matrix said awkwardly. He was glad he had something to do to take him away from his thoughts.

Why had he..?

Matrix shook his head.

"So I've heard." Sour Cream laughed. "It was all Onion's idea. I just drove the boat."

"That still counts for a lot." Matrix said, though he wasn't looking at Sour Cream. He certainly seemed absent minded.

"Thanks. Uh... Something bothering you?" Sour Cream arched a brow at Matrix, who was slightly surprised by the question.

"Hm? Oh- uh... No, no. Not at all!" Matrix laughed nervously.

"You're bad at lying." Sour Cream stated plainly, and Matrix's shoulders dropped in defeat.

"It's... Not important..." Matrix didn't at all like the thoughts running through his head.

"Uh... Alright." Sour Cream arched a brow at him, standing and turning back to look at Matrix. "Well, I've gotta get back to DJing." Sour Cream walked back towards the turn tables, and Matrix gave a two fingered wave.

"See ya..."

* * *

Peridot spat on the sand, wiping her tongue with a napkin. "Disgusting..." She muttered. "I outta kick him in the groin for that..." She stood at the bottom of the staircase, leaning against the stairwell. There was one thing bothering her...

Why hadn't she pushed him away?

"Peridot?" Pearl glanced around the corner, and Peridot's eyes widened in surprise.

"Hm?" She turned, trying to keep calm as she held the napkin behind her.

"What are you doing down here?" Pearl asked, and Peridot shrugged.

"Just got a little tired of the ear-splitting music, is all." Peridot said with a fake smile, and Pearl arched a brow at her.

"Uh... Okay..? Are you alright? You look a little sick." Pearl arched a brow at Peridot, who shook her head.

"No, no! I was just... Thinking. Heh..." Peridot scratched the back of her head.

"THEY DID WHAT?!" Amethyst's hard laughter followed these words from the deck.

Garnet shushed her, laughing as well.

"Huh... I wonder what they're laughing about." Pearl glanced up at the deck as she spoke.

Once again Peridot looked sick, her face turning red. "I-it's probably nothing..." Peridot crossed her arms, looking away.

* * *

"Hey, why aren't you dancing?" Steven asked Matrix, sitting next to him. He'd been dancing with that Connie person for almost the entire party.

"I don't really do dancing." Matrix said, crossing his arms.

"Is it because of what happened on the roof?" Steven asked, and Matrix's eyes widened.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Matrix looked away, hiding the red on his face. _Think of something to distract him..._

"Matrix it really isn't a big deal-"

"Hey have you ever heard the Tragedy of Scapolite?"

"I think you're trying to change the subject."

"It's an old gem story." Matrix smirked, watching as Steven went silent, his eyes filling with interest as he sat criss-cross before Matrix.

"Go ahead." Steven said, knowing full well he was just being tricked.

"Scapolite was a kind and loving warrior from Homeworld, so powerful and so wise she could use her own power to influence the energy of others to create life... She had such a knowledge of the this power that she could even keep the ones she cared about from dying." Matrix began.

"She could save people from death?"

"There are many abilities some consider to be unnatural."

"Like pulling a spear out of your eye?"

"Kid, a shield comes out of your belly button. You don't wanna play this game."

"... So what happened to her?"

"She became so powerful... the only thing she was afraid of was losing her own power, which eventually, of course, she did. Unfortunately, she taught her apprentice everything she knew, then her apprentice killed her in her sleep. It's ironic she could save others from death, but not herself."

"Why would her apprentice do that?" Steven asked eagerly.

"Her apprentice was a monster... A real monster..." Matrix shook his head.

"Did... Did this really happen?"

"I don't know. It happened before the Gem Wars. I've never seen him. I've never even heard more of him than whispers..."

"Who was he?"

"... Lignite the Savage."

* * *

"So you're little kids failed, hm?" The shadowed voice questioned.

"Come now, Lignite. Don't tell me you're jealous I sent them and not you." The floating, yellow diamond said. Clearly some kind of communicator.

"So the good lieutenant finally bit the hand that fed him, hm?" The shaded figure chuckled. "And he took Peridot with him..."

"Yes. Disappointing, isn't it?"

"Very." In the pale yellow light, the metal shoulder pauldron he wore over his right shoulder could be seen over his duster-like jacket.

"I'm confident that Eclipse has survived the battle, however. In fact I'm almost sure that right now he'll be trying to complete his mission."

"And once he does you want me to go there?"

"Yes. I'm sure those damn Crystal Gems will show up to stop him, but I'm also sure that Eclipse will be able to hold them off. And once you show up, you two working in tandem should be enough to exterminate these Gems."

"Hm." The shaded figure nodded. "It has been awhile since my blade's have tasted the blood of those disgusting traitors..."

"Good." Something in the tone showed that the person speaking on the other end of the Yellow Diamond was smirking.

"Do not fail me, Lignite."

* * *

Moonstone walked by the warp pads, looking around at them. "Hm..." He noticed the Crying Breakfast Friends stickers on each of them, as they were all broken.

"Strange..." Moonstone stopped at the largest one, which looked as though it had been intentionally smashed.

"I believe that's the one the filthy fusion destroyed." Sunstone said from behind him, smiling.

"Ah, yes." Moonstone nodded. "Emerald, how long do you think it'll take you to fix these?" Moonstone looked over at Emerald, who was shaking his head.

"I haven't even been able to get my robonoids down. My tech was damaged when you-" Emerald was cut off as the two turned slowly, grinning at him in unison.

"Er, when I took a bit of damage in the fight." Emerald laughed nervously.

"That's what we thought." They said in unison.

"And if you don't want that to happen again," Sunstone started.

"Get everything working soon." Moonstone finished.

Emerald nodded quickly, opening up a screen before him, pressing a few buttons and what not on it.

Tiger sat on a broken Warp Pad, her arms crossed. _I can't believe I lost to that pathetic softy..._

* * *

 _"Awaken, Matrix."  
_

 _Matrix's eyes slowly opened. Everything felt... Strange. But then again, just feeling was weird. Where was he? What was he? Who was he?_

 _"Welcome to the world of the living, my child."_

 _As Matrix's eyes opened, he felt a golden light wash over him, and he had to cover his eyes. He knew. He knew what he was._

 _It was already decided._

 _It had always been decided._

 _Something in him didn't like that._

 _"Yellow Diamond..." He managed to say._

 _"Good job." She sounded... What was it? Sarcastic was the word, correct? That's what the information in his mind told him, anyway._

 _"What is my purpose?" He was forced by something in him to question._

 _"You are one side of a coin." Yellow Diamond answered._

 _"Then who is on the other side?"_

 _"Look to your right, child."_

 _Matrix did as he was told, and his eyes laid upon the one he immediately knew as sister._

 _"You two are Cats Eye."_

 _"Then... Why are we separate?"_

 _"Because when you are one, you can be alone. But when you are two, you will always have each other."_

* * *

"Always have each other..." Matrix muttered as he stared at the rising sun.

Was his sister looking at it as well?

He was standing on the hand that had Steven's washer and drier on it. "I thought I'd only have to make that decision once but... It seems to be reoccurring..."

"And every time I make it, the one I stabbed in the back haunts me..." Matrix ran a hand through his hair. It seemed that his hood was never up anymore.

 _My fear- The fear of falling apart_

Matrix's eyes widened slightly as the words rang in his head. It was sung in his head, of course. He hadn't heard that song in ages... In fact he didn't remember it until now. Now he remembered each and every word...

"You've certainly been acting weird lately."

Matrix instantly recognized the voice, and winced slightly.

"I've just had a lot of thinking to do, Peridot."

"Weren't you thinking last night?" Peridot questioned, standing next to him.

"You interrupted me." Matrix smirked lightly, and she crossed her arms, turning her head away from him.

"I just needed to get away from that horrid music, is all..."

"Suuure."

Without saying anything, Peridot proceeded to punch Matrix in the shoulder.

"Ouch." Matrix rolled his eyes, rubbing his arm.

"Anyway... Humans have a strange way of celebrating." Peridot said, looking over the beach. There were people passed out in chairs and such across the beach.

"I know." Matrix nodded. "I had to step over several teenagers to get up here."

"It was certainly amusing to watch them act so stupid for one night, though." Peridot said, watching as a few of them awoke, rubbing their heads.

"The humans weren't the only one's doing stupid things last night..." Matrix scratched the back of his head.

"Well- Uh... I mean, we were both just tired, is all..." Peridot crossed her arms.

"Yeah, of course..." Matrix said, looking away as she did. "Plus, we both just went through near death experiences. People tend to do strange things after those..."

"Exactly..."

"So we're just gonna forget this ever happened?"

"I don't think there's any other option."

They were both a light red at this point, but neither was willing to let the other see.

"... So, what exactly are you thinking about?" Peridot changed the subject after a moment of silence.

"Tiger and I... We were made as one in the same..." Matrix sighed.

"I've stabbed her in the back twice now. I know she's the one in the wrong, and I know she's just some crazy bitch, but... Siblings are supposed to look out for one another, y'know? Not wage war on one another..."

"... I see. Well I suppose I wouldn't know anything about that." Peridot said. "But... Um... There there..?"

Matrix couldn't help but snicker. "You're bad at being a real person, you know that?"

"We aren't real people."

"Sure we are." Matrix said. "Maybe some of those Homeworld Gems aren't, but we are."

"... How so..?"

"We make our own decisions, we have our own emotions, and we've claimed our own fate."

"..." Peridot remained silent, thinking Matrix's words over. "So this is what it's like then... Being an earthling..."

"Welcome to real life, Peri." Matrix pulled a Party Horn from his pocket, blowing into it. His party hat was still loosely on his head.

Peridot remained silent until Matrix handed her her own Party Horn, and they both stood there as the sun rose. Blowing into those stupid Party Horns solemnly. Party hats placed on their heads.

 ** _The fear of falling apart..._**

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. I know it's shorter than your usual chapter, but it was mostly just filler and foreshadowing. The next chapter should be longer.  
**

 **I just didn't want to jump right into the next big thing, although I could have, but I don't wanna.**

 **That being said, next chapter, the next big thing starts!**

 **I'm bad at filler. So lucky you guys.**

 **Anyway, please favorite, follow, and review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	14. Chapter 14: Lignite the Savage

**Thanks go to Glitter Spires, The Imprisoned of Hell, and AnimeLoverForever03.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

"You're starting to run low on time, Emerald." Sunstone hovered over the green gem's shoulder.

"Stop. Rushing. Me." Emerald said, his eye twitching slightly.

He was working with the single robonoid he'd managed to contact, fixing the large warp pad with it.

"I suggest you work faster." Moonstone said, sitting with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. His gem was glowing.

"What are you seeing?" Amazonite questioned.

"They know we're here..."

* * *

"Y-you mean they're at the Warp Pads..?!" Pearl asked in shock.

"They must be trying to fix them again..." Peridot concluded.

"But Garnet smashed the only working one!" Amethyst protested.

"They could still fix it... It will just take longer." Peridot said.

"Then you all know what we've got to do." Garnet said, and Matrix smirked.

"Final Battle Part 2?" He asked.

"Final Battle Part 2." Garnet confirmed.

They all walked towards the Warp pad, but Matrix stopped them. "Wait, shouldn't we bring Steven along?"

"What? No, he'll just get hurt!" Pearl was annoyed just by him bringing it up.

"If it wasn't for his healing powers, we'd all be dead right now." Matrix said, and Peridot nodded.

"He's not wrong, you know."

"But... Garnet?" Pearl looked up at the taller Gem, who was thinking.

"... We'll have to bring Connie. They might be able to hold their own as Stevonnie." Garnet said.

"What?!" Pearl shrieked.

""What's going on?" Connie asked as her and Steven walked into the building.

"We have to save the world. You two are coming." Matrix said plainly.

"But they-"

"Saved our butts from being clubbed to death last time?" Amethyst questioned, and Pearl stopped.

"... Fine. But only as the healer..." Pearl said begrudgingly. "And they have to bring Lion too!"

"Yaaaay! Lion!" Steven called, and Lion awoke from his place sleeping on the floor.

Connie looked as though she was thinking, before gulping. "My parents will be mad but... I have to be there with my shield." She smiled. Steven smiled in return, climbing onto Lion. Connie climbed on with him.

"Alright," Matrix pulled his spear from his eye.

"Let's do this."

* * *

Eclipse grinned, standing in front of the warp pad. Sure, he could have just destroyed the pad, but that would take away the fun of beating them all to a bloody pulp once again.

The Warp Pad glowed, a beam of light shooting into the air.

Eclipse's face cracked as his grin spread wider. The way his mouth worked was just... Creepy. Like some kind of thing from _Soul Eater_.

The moment the light faded, the Gem's eyes widened.

"They knew we were coming!" Pearl said in shock.

Eclipse just rose his hand into the air, opening his fist to a small ball of energy. Condensed, no doubt.

"Scatter!" Matrix said, and they all shot off to the sides, the super powered blast firing over the Warp Pad where they had once stood.

Lion roared, sending a shock wave towards Emerald.

Amazonite stepped in the way, taking the blast and only sliding back slightly.

Matrix shot towards Eclipse, and Tiger jumped at him. Unfortunately for her, she didn't make it. Garnet came from above her, slamming one fist into her back and throwing her into the ground.

Matrix stabbed at Eclipse, who dodged past it with ease, grabbing the spear. Matrix broke off the spear, jumping into the air and flipping, throwing the other edge at Eclipse, who caught that end as well.

He came down, slamming his foot into Eclipse's chest. Eclipse didn't so much as stumble, grabbing Matrix's leg and lifting him into the air, throwing him at Peridot, who had taken aim on him.

The two smashed into each other, hitting the ground and skidding, rolling apart from one another, groaning.

Amethyst held two whips, whipping at Eclipse, who caught both of them. Amethyst smirked, making a wave with each of the whips. Purple energy flew down them at Eclipse, who quickly dropped them, jumping into the air.

As he did, Pearl came from above him, stabbing at him with her spear. Eclipse caught the spear with both hands, grinning as he spun, throwing her at the ground.

As Pearl slammed into the ground, Eclipse threw her spear at her as well. As it was about to hit her, it was blasted aside, and Peridot helped Pearl up.

"Never thought you'd be the one saving me." She said, and Peridot rolled her eyes.

Eclipse shot forward, grabbing both of them by the face and continuing forward, aiming to slam them into the wall.

As he did, a whip wrapped around his throat, making him gasp for breath. He continued, however, dragging Amethyst along. But now he was wincing, and his vision was off.

Matrix landed between him and the pillar he was going to slam into, holding his spear out and digging his feet into the ground.

Eclipse ran right into him, his spear going through his chest. Eclipse winced, glaring at Matrix as he dropped the other two, pulling both fists into the air and slamming them down into his skull, throwing him into a crater.

"As for you!" Eclipse grabbed the whip, yanking Amethyst into the air. He brought up his hand, firing a wave of energy into Amethyst, engulfing her and watching as she fell from the sky, smoke coming off of her.

* * *

"Get out of my way!" Tiger demanded, her clawed gloves appearing.

"No." Garnet said simply, her gauntlets appearing.

Tiger roared, shooting at the fusion, who caught her claw, slamming her fist into her abdomen, making her cough saliva.

Tiger was thrown up by the punch, and Garnet held her hands over her head, locking her fingers together in a fist and slamming it into Tiger's back, sending her into the ground.

* * *

Lion fired another sonic boom at Amazonite, who still took it with little to no damage.

Stevonnie came down from above her, swinging her sword at the larger fusion.

Amazonite side stepped the blade, swinging her club at Stevonnie, who blocked with her pink shield, pushing the club off and stabbing at Amazonite, who blocked with her other club.

Stevonnie jumped back, pulling her blade from Amazonite's club.

"Puny Earthlings. Even if you are half of Rose Quartz, you're still nothing to me." Amazonite brought both of her clubs into the air, slamming them into the ground and sending a shock wave at Stevonnie, who blocked the brunt of it with her shield, but was still thrown back.

Amazonite jumped up to smash her, but Lion jumped into her, throwing her aside and roaring at her once again.

This time, Amazonite had no ground to stand on, and was thrown into the ground.

* * *

"Almost got it..." Emerald muttered, patting his robonoid's head as it reacted happily, continuing to work on the warp pad.

He looked up, seeing Amazonite shoot from the crater and grab Lion by the throat, throwing him at Stevonnie.

"Really glad I don't have to do that crap. Hehhehheh..." Emerald stuck his tongue out as he gave the obnoxious laugh, continuing his work.

* * *

Matrix ran towards the warp pad, but Eclipse caught him by the leg. "Ah ah, we aren't done yet." Eclipse threw Matrix through a pillar, watching as he skid past the warp pad area and into the field next to it.

He watched as Tiger was smacked aside by Garnet, turning to her. He grinned.

Garnet walked towards Tiger, who looked as though she was about to return to her gem. She suddenly jumped, avoiding a blast from Eclipse.

She turned to look at Eclipse, who was cracking his knuckles.

* * *

"Why am I going, again?" The white gem arched a brow at Lignite.

Lignite's duster-like jacket's hood seemed to shadow his entire face. "Because, Howlite, Yellow Diamond said so."

The scrawny white gem crossed his arms. His skin was pure white, but had veins of black running through it, almost like cracks.

"Never volunteered for this..." Howlite muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Lignite asked, and he stiffened.

"N-nothing, Captain Lignite..." Howlite said, gulping.

The white gem wore black pants with the Yellow Diamond symbol on them and a black tank top-like shirt. He had pure white hair, and the veins of black ran across the left side of his face, swarming around his eye but not going into it.

"That's what I thought." Lignite said, waiting for the Warp Pad to activate.

"How long is Emerald going to make us wait? I'd like to get this over with quickly." Howlite rolled his eyes.

"Just don't get in my way when we get there, Dog." Lignite said, and Howlite shot him a glare.

"Don't call me that."

* * *

Emerald reached for the final crack to seal, when he felt something slam into his side, throwing him away from it.

"No you don't." Matrix aimed his spear at Emerald's throat.

"... Oh Eclipse is gonna be pissed." Emerald said, staring up at Matrix.

He glanced over at his Robonoid, who was crawling towards the crack.

"I think you should worry about me being pissed." Matrix pulled his spear into the air, when the Warp Pad suddenly lit up!

"Oh Garnet's gonna be pissed." Matrix jumped back from the Warp Pad, readying his spear.

All of the others watched in horror as the light faded, and two Gems were revealed.

"About time." Howlite said, looking out over the battle field. "Huh... Looks like they came to us. This shouldn't be too difficult."

Matrix's eyes were wide along with Peridot's. "Y-... You're..." Matrix stepped back from the cloaked figure, his eyes wide.

He could see a smirk appear on Lignite's face. In an instant, he'd pulled two gigantic black staves from each sleeve, spinning them. The staves were twice his own size.

"I've heard a lot about you lately, Matrix." Lignite's spinning staves spun at a speed that almost made them look like buzz-saws.

"I've heard a bit about you too, Lignite the Savage." Matrix threw his spear to the side, pulling a double edged spear from his eye.

"My reputation has a tendency to precede me." Lignite held his spinning stave over his head.

"Are you two going to fight or talk?" Howlite said, his arms crossed.

In an instant, Lignite's left stave was thrown, buzzing through the ground towards Matrix, who's eyes widened as he jumped to the side, dodging it.

Matrix shot at Lignite, pulling back his spear. It was blocked with ease, and he jumped into the air, throwing his spear at Lignite, who jumped back, dodging easily.

Matrix landed in front of him, picking up his spear and shooting forward at him, blocking a stave swing and jumping, spinning and trying to kick Lignite, who ducked under it.

Lignite's other buzz-saw seemed to be rolling back at this point, and he caught it, throwing both of them at Matrix, who dodged and jumped around them as they seemed to turn to hit him.

He held his spear out to the side, blocking each of the saws with one side of the spear, jumping into the air and kicking down at Lignite, who caught his foot, throwing him back.

Matrix landed on his feet, running forward and throwing a punch that Lignite caught.

Matrix snarled, pulling his other fist back and slamming it into Lignite's face, watching as his head was pushed to the side by the punch, a smirk forming on his face once again.

"I'm surprised the Kids couldn't kill you." Matrix's eyes widened at his words before Lignite's knee shot up, slamming into Matrix's chest and making him cough blood.

"Matrix!" Peridot ran forward, but Howlite jumped in front of her, waving his arm in a line. A wall of ice suddenly appeared before Peridot, and she stopped.

She growled, raising her cannon to it and firing a beam. The thick ice slowly began to melt, but not fast enough.

"It's no use." Howlite said, standing atop the wall of ice. Pearl landed next to him, stabbing at him. He easily moved aside, keeping his balance on the ice.

His palm shot forward, slamming into Pearl's chest and throwing her off the wall of ice, slamming into the ground.

"Okay, who's next?" Howlite asked, arching a brow at the Gems. The only one's on the other side of the wall were Lignite, Matrix, and Stevonnie.

* * *

Matrix slammed into a pillar, groaning as he fell to his hands and knees.

"This is disappointing." Lignite shook his head, his buzz-saws stopping in his hands.

Stevonnie roared, rushing at Lignite and attempting to stab him. He jumped over the blade, spinning in air and slamming his foot into the side of Stevonnie's face, throwing her through the air and through a pillar.

He looked up, seeing Matrix rushing towards him. "Still got fight in you, hm?" He jumped, spinning and bringing one foot down on Matrix, who blocked with both arms, the ground under him caving slightly.

Matrix winced as Lignite jumped off of him, throwing his staves once again as he back flipped.

"Oh I am not dealing with those things again." Matrix reached out as they approached, and winced as they reached him.

He caught the staves, though the blades continued, digging into each of his shoulders.

Matrix threw the staves to the side, blood running down his arms. "That all you got?" He asked, shooting off the ground at Lignite.

"Eclipse was right." Lignite shot forward, slamming his knee into the rushing Matrix's chest, making him cough blood.

"You are amusing." He grabbed Matrix by the hair, pulling him up and slamming one fist into his face, throwing him down into the ground.

Before anything other than Matrix's head cold hit the dirt, Lignite grabbed him by the leg, turning and throwing him across the battle field.

Matrix flew quickly, his body motionless as he slammed through a warp pad, hitting the ground and bouncing, rolling as he hit the ground outside of the Warp Pad building.

"Amusing in a pitiful sense, that is. I know I shouldn't laugh..." Lignite put his foot down on Matrix's chest.

"But it's just so funny."

* * *

Howlite back flipped, Garnet's fist slamming into the ground before him. They were still trying to get through the wall.

At this point, Eclipse, Emerald, Amazonite, and Tiger were just watching.

Howlite caught the whip coming towards him, and the whip froze, the ice racing towards Amethyst, who quickly dropped the whip. Spikes of ice shot from the end of the whip, stabbing at Amethyst, who jumped back just in time to dodge the attack.

"This is tiring..." He ducked around one of Garnet's fists, sweeping her legs out in one swift motion and watching her fall.

"I wish Lignite would just hurry up for once..."

* * *

Lignite picked Matrix up by the collar of his shirt, pulling back one fist.

"Now Eclipse probably would've torn that eye of yours out by now." He slammed his fist into the motionless Matrix's face. "But I like playing with my foes for awhile."

Lignite lifted his fist again, when Matrix's hand wrapped around his throat, claws coming from his fingers and digging into Lignite's throat.

"Hm... A nice try, I suppose." Lignite grabbed Matrix by the face, pulling him up and making another one of his staves.

He raised the stave into the air, slicing violently at Matrix's chest and abdomen.

Matrix's blood spilled onto the ground, his hand dropping as he let go of Lignite's throat.

"Aw, no more fight left?" Lignite threw Matrix forward, watching as he bounced and slide.

"That's... That's where you're wrong..." Matrix climbed slowly to his feet, throwing his cloak aside. His shirt was slashed to ribbons.

Blood ran down his forehead from the punch, and his hair covered his eyes. Matrix reached up, pulling two double edged spears out of his eye.

"I'm never out of fight!" Matrix shot at Lignite, who pulled another stave from his sleeve.

"I've heard that lie too many times to count now." Lignite spun his staves into buzz-saws once again, and as Matrix rushed towards him, a grin spread like wildfire across his face.

He threw the stave's forward at a speed much higher than last time.

Matrix didn't have time to pull back his arms.

Matrix's eyes widened, blood spewing through the air.

His arms hit the ground, his spears gone as he stumbled, slamming into the ground and sliding towards Lignite.

Matrix's eyes were wide, and his roar of pain rang across the field.

Lignite laughed, pulling up one foot and slamming it into the downed Gems chest.

He stomped on Matrix's chest again. And again. And again.

"Well you're good at taking a punch if nothing else." Lignite picked Matrix up by the collar of his shirt.

"But without the other half that you've forsaken," Lignite pulled back his other fist.

"You're nothing!"

* * *

Peridot finally cut through the wall, immediately running towards the scene.

 _Okay, if Matrix and I can just fuse again, we should be able to-_ Her thoughts stopped as her eyes widened. Lightning crackled across the sky.

Lignite pulled back his fist, slamming it directly into Matrix's left eye. His arms were missing. His body was slashed up. His eyes were wide in pain and defeat. They were pupil-less.

"M-Matrix..?" Peridot had never seen him like this. Matrix was thrown in front of her, and her eyes widened further.

That last punch had cracked his gem.

It was hopeless. It was all hopeless now. If he could stop Matrix then...

Peridot was shaking.

 **"MATRIX!"**

* * *

 **So Lignite don't play.  
**

 **That's been established.**

 **And Matrix isn't invincible.**

 **That's also been established.**

 **This whole Lignite thing will probably last longer than Beach City Brawl did, so get ready for that.**

 **Now then, Please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	15. Chapter 15: Agony

**Thanks go to Glitter Spires, The Imprisoned of Hell, Randal435, Cfintimidator.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

"Howlite, you let one through." Lignite walked slowly towards the two, one of his staves spinning.

Peridot just stared into Matrix's wide eyes. He wasn't conscious. And he was stuck in his physical form due to his cracked gem...

He was in a constant state of agony.

Stevonnie roared, slicing at Lignite from behind. He blocked with a stave, turning and glaring at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Filthy half breed." He kicked Stevonnie in the gut, throwing her back into a pillar.

He continued his walk towards the two traitor gems. Peridot stood slowly, her legs shaking. She was horrified.

She rose her cannon, which began to glow. "Don't come any closer." She said, and Lignite began to laugh.

"I'm shaking." Lignite spun his staves, smirking.

"I mean it!" Peridot said, her cannon glowing brighter. Light began to shin through the sides.

"You aren't even made for fighting, Peridot. You're just a tinkerer with no place on the battle field. You're almost a Pearl." Lignite was laughing.

Peridot's teeth grit. Her shaking was part fear and part anger. "You know... For so long I believed that." Were cracks forming in her cannon?

"But these Earthlings... They aren't what the Homeworld thinks of them. They taught me other wise." Peridot glanced down at Matrix.

"And for what you've done to them..." The entire night was illuminated by the green light.

"YOU CAN ROTE IN HELL!"

The beam of pure green shot from Peridot's cannon, spiraling and rocketing towards Lignite.

Lignite's eyes widened slightly, and he spun his staves in front of himself, blocking the beam. He was being pushed back, wincing.

"YOU!" Peridot looked to Stevonnie, who's eyes widened.

"Y-yes?!" She stood at attention.

"HEAL THIS IDIOT!" Peridot looked at Matrix, and Stevonnie nodded quickly, jumping up and running towards Matrix.

the sight of Matrix brought tears to Stevonnie's eyes. She was glad, as she didn't want to use her healing spit to fix him.

Peridot could feel her energy fading, and the beam slowly came to a stop.

She panted, falling to her knees. She noticed the cracks in her arm, and her eyes widened. "Uh oh..." She realized that her hand seemed to be falling apart, and as pieces fell off, it revealed a green hand, looking like the one of a normal gem.

"Whoa..." Stevonnie said, and Peridot arched a brow at her.

"What? You didn't think those were my real hands, did you?" She panted while she asked.

"Well... Actually..."

"I'm not dead." A voice said, and fear ran down each of their spins.

"Like I said Peridot." Lignite had a few scorch marks on him, but nothing major. "Some little tinkerer like you has no place on the battlefield."

"Shut... Up..." Matrix forced himself to his feet. Only one of his arms was back, and his gem still had a few cracks in it. His chest had a few scars across it.

"You Homeworld clowns... You all talk too much..." Matrix said, knowing he couldn't even pull his spear from his eye. "You're all so damn over confident... It sickens me..."

"..." Lignite remained silent, sighing. "You know, this thing where you keep getting back up is getting rather old."

"This thing where you people keep coming back to my planet is getting rather old." Matrix forced a smirk. His right arm was regenerating slowly. The cracks in his eye were slowly sealing.

"You know, I think I'm going to put you down for good." Lignite's weapons disappeared.

"And how do you think you're going to do that?" Matrix asked. "In case you haven't noticed, I just got up from a cracked gem and two missing limbs-"

In the next instant Lignite shot forward, slamming his knee into Matrix's chest and throwing him back into Howlite's wall of ice. Cracks ran through the ice.

Lignite pulled back his fist, slamming it into Matrix's face once again. And again. And again.

Lignite then picked him up over his head, throwing him onto the ground.

Matrix groaned, motionless. Both of his arms were back, but he still had little to no energy.

Lignite grabbed him by the throat, pulling him into the air and slamming him into the wall, spreading more cracks.

Lignite dropped Matrix, who was motionless once again.

"I was there, y'know." He said after a moment of silence. "At the Kindergarten. When that little human you cared so much about got skewered."

Matrix's eyes snapped open. "Don't you talk about her..."

"I thought it was kind of amusing actually." Lignite smirked as Matrix shot up, slamming his fist into his face. Lignite didn't budge.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"

Lignite kicked Matrix in the stomach, slamming him into the wall once again. "But maybe that's just because I suggested it."

Matrix's eyes opened wide once again. "What... What do you mean..? Pearl stabbed her out of instinct-"

"Is that what they told you? Well, that's the excuse she would use, I guess." Lignite grinned.

"What did you do..?" Matrix climbed to his feet once again. "What did you bastards do..?!"

"Well, you've seen how Moonstone can control minds, correct?" Matrix's eyes widened.

"You... You didn't..."

"I told him it might snap you out of your little human-loving phase if she got into a little... Accident." Lignite grinned.

Matrix swung at Lignite, who easily avoided it. "So he took control of that defective little Pearl and made her stab your little human."

Matrix swung at Lignite once again, tears forming in his eyes. "You... You damn bastards!"

Lignite caught Matrix's fist. "And the part I thought was the funniest was when you still worked for us." Lignite began laughing. "We killed the person you cared for most, and then you joined us again!" Lignite laughed harder, and Matrix stepped back, grabbing his head. His eyes were wide.

"N-no... I-... I didn't..."

"But you did. You fell into our little trap. You betrayed the planet you wanted to save." Lignite turned, walking away from Matrix as he fell to his knees.

"Stop..." Matrix said, and Lignite stopped.

"What is it?" He turned, and his eyes widened, his smirk fading.

Matrix was glowing, and he seemed to be growing as well.

"I'll kill you... I'll tear you limb from limb..." His hands dug into the ground, slowly becoming claws.

A tiger tail shot from his tail bone, and fur seemed to be sprouting from his skin. He stood slowly, letting out a roar. He was growing to be about fifteen feet tall, and his claws reached out about ten inches. He resembled some sort of demon tiger.

Lignite began laughing. "Oh... Oh this is better than I ever could have expected!" He laughed hard, watching as Matrix lumbered towards him.

"He's actually let himself become corrupt just to fight me!"

* * *

"Huh... And I thought I was the only one who could go into a corrupt form of my own accord." Howlite stroked his imaginary beard. "Then again, it's also possible he went corrupt by accident."

The fighting stopped, everyone was just watching Matrix as he loomed towards the confident Lignite.

* * *

"Matrix..." Peridot watched in shock and awe as Matrix raised one claw into the air over Lignite.

Stevonnie defused in shock.

"G-gems can just... Do that?" Connie asked in shock.

"Matrix! No!" Steven exclaimed, climbing to his feet.

The calls fell on deaf ears. Matrix's red eyes were full of rage.

"Go ahead then." Lignite left himself open. "I'll give you the first sh-"

Lignite was cut off as Matrix's claw shot down, slamming into him at a lighting speed and throwing him through the wall of ice.

"O-Okay..." Lignite sat up slowly, wiping blood from his lip. "Lucky shot..."

Matrix broke into a run as he smashed through the wall of ice with ease, throwing Howlite into the air.

"Kill you... Kill you... Kill you... Kill you..." Matrix seemed to be saying as he rushed towards Lignite.

Lignite barely had time to get to his feet before the claw was upon him again. All Matrix could see was her. Her laugh. Her smile. Her blood. Her tears. That look of shock as she was stabbed...

Lignite just barely jumped over one giant claw, getting caught in the other.

"Years... Thousands of years..." Matrix said, staring darkly into Lignite's eyes. "Alone..."

 _The fear of falling apart..._

Matrix seemed to be crushing Lignite, who was struggling violently.

Eclipse suddenly shot forward, slamming his fist into Matrix's cheek.

He didn't budge.

Matrix turned slowly to look at Eclipse. "You..." His mouth opened and closed so suddenly, Eclipse barely had time to catch the jaws before they crushed him.

"Damn it... Corrupt Gems shouldn't be this strong!" Eclipse growled, When Matrix's tongue suddenly shot forward, slamming into his chest and throwing him out of his mouth.

Light suddenly flashed across the area, and Matrix turned, looking at it.

* * *

"I guess I'll have to clean up Lignite's mess." Howlite rolled his eyes, sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. He closed his eyes, and a white light began to radiate from him.

As Matrix turned to look at him, he began to grow, fangs protruding from his mouth as he grew to fifteen feet tall as well. A wolf like tail shot from his tail bone, claws growing from his hands. He hunched slightly, fur sprouting from his body.

Howlite stood to his full height, loosing a howl into the air. The very ground shook, and a grin cracked across Matrix's face.

Matrix dropped Lignite, who landed on his back, groaning. "I... I need to learn how to do that..." He wasn't kidding. That look in his eye...

He was power hungry.

Matrix and Howlite rushed at one another, slamming together and snarling. They both rose their heads, sinking their teeth into the others neck.

Matrix kicking Howlite back, roaring as he came to a stop.

* * *

"This is so bad..." Steven said. "It's so bad but... It's so cool!"

"It is not cool!" Peridot yelled, turning to Steven. "Matrix is barely himself right now. If he stays like that for too long he could become just another Gem Monster..." Peridot watched as Matrix slashed Howlite, who stepped back slightly before slamming his foot into Matrix's chest.

Matrix almost fell, but he grabbed Howlite, pulling him down as well. They slammed into the edge of the water, and Matrix pushed Howlite's head into the water.

The water shook for a moment before a sonic boom shot from the water, resembling Howlite's howl.

It slammed into Matrix's face, throwing him through the air and towards the Warp Pads.

"Run." Peridot said, staring with wide eyes at the falling Matrix.

The three jumped up immediately, running as fast as their legs could carry them to avoid being crushed by the monsters. Everyone else quickly moved out of the way, letting the monsters battle.

Howlite jumped at Matrix, who rolled out of the way, crushing more Warp Pads in the process. The two stood, glaring at each other.

"You... Not... Target..." Matrix managed to say. He was beginning to slip away.

 _Damn it... I can't stay like this for more than another thirty seconds..._ Howlite thought, rushing forward and grabbing Matrix by the shoulders, slamming his head into Matrix's.

Matrix snarled, kicking Howlite with one clawed foot, tearing open his stomach and throwing him.

Howlite landed on his feet, howling at Matrix again. Matrix roared in response, and their blasts collided with a powerful shock wave.

 _15 Seconds..._

Howlite shot off the ground once again, grabbing Matrix and jumping clear over the others, smashing into the water and slashing his claw across Matrix's face, sending him spiraling downward into it.

 _10 Seconds..._

Matrix shot from the deep, grabbing Howlite by the throat and shooting from the water. As they reached the air, Matrix pulled back his claw, slashing Howlite across the face and sending him into the ground, which cracked under the force of his impact.

The Werewolf-like Monster climbed to it's feet.

 _5 Seconds..._

Matrix shot forward, grabbing Howlite by the throat and raising him into the air, throwing his claw into Howlite's abdomen, slashing through him.

Howlite roared in pain, beginning to glow. He slowly shrank down, falling down towards the earth in his normal form. Matrix was about to slash him when he was caught by Eclipse, who disappeared in a flash of black, reappearing next to all of the other Homeworld Gems.

"Well, it's been fun." The flash of black engulfed them all, and they all disappeared.

Matrix roared, looking around. "Where..? Where..?!"

"Matrix! Calm down!" Peridot called from the ground.

Matrix turned to her, snarling. "What they did..." Matrix seemed to be getting more unstable, as he seemed to be growing again. He began to fall to four legs, becoming more beast than anything else.

"MATRIX!" Peridot yelled, and Matrix seemed to stop. "KNOCK. IT. OFF."

Matrix seemed to finally recognize her. "... Peridot..?" The transformation into beast seemed to stop.

"About time, you clod!" Peridot yelled. "Stop freaking out and go back to normal!"

"Who the hell..." Matrix seemed to be shrinking.

"Made you the queen?!" His voice had returned to normal, and he began to glow.

Matrix groaned, standing as himself once again. He fell to his knees. "What... Was that..?" He proceeded to fall face first into the dirt, unconscious.

* * *

Matrix's eyes slowly opened to Steven's home once again. It seemed like he was waking up from unconsciousness at the end of every fight...

"Uh... Matrix? You alright..?" Steven asked.

"Why..." Matrix rubbed his head, sitting up. "Why wouldn't I be..?" His memory was fuzzy.

His memories hit him like a train.

"..." Matrix climbed shakily to his feet. Everyone else was sitting somewhere silently, basking in their failure.

"Matrix, where are you going?" Steven walked next to Matrix, who just shook his head.

"I've just... Gotta go see someone." He said, pushing open the door.

It didn't seem like any of the other Gems even heard him. They all sat forlorn. Peridot leaned against the counter, sitting on the floor with one knee up, her arm draped over it as she looked at the ground. Amethyst laid atop the counter, staring at the ceiling.

Pearl was in the corner, her knees pulled up to her chest. Garnet leaned against the wall, her arms crossed and her head down. Connie laid on Steven's bed, her arms spread out to her sides as she stared at the ceiling as well.

"Is it a Gem?" Steven asked eagerly. "Can I come?"

Matrix stopped, turning to look at Steven. His eyes said 'Go. Away.'

Steven laughed nervously, stepping back. "Uh... Right."

Matrix lifted his hood over his head, continuing his walk towards the city.

Steven ran into the house, grabbing Connie by the wrist. "Connie, come on. We've gotta see where Matrix is going."

"But..." Connie clearly did not feel like it.

"We can ride Lion." Steven smirked, and Connie smiled.

"Alright."

* * *

Matrix walked for hours. Sure, he could have used the Warp pad, but then the Gems would've known something was up.

Eventually he showed up at his first stop.

It appeared that rain was still falling in the Kindergarten. Not exactly a shock. It still had so much blood to wash away...

Matrix walked slowly through the darkness, hidden mostly under his cloak. It was pulled over his upper body, covering most of him.

He walked up to two holes in the walls of rock. One fit his shape, the other fit the shape of his sister, Tiger.

Matrix stood in silence. Staring at those holes. Was that all he was? A chunk of rock? His hands clenched into fists, and he pulled them back, slamming them into the rock.

Matrix roared in anger, smashing his fists into the rocks again and again. Cracks spread through it, and his knuckles began to bleed.

He pulled his spear from his eye, stabbing at the rock and smashing it finally, breaking the rock wall between his outline and that of his sister's.

Matrix snarled, ramming his spear into the rock above the large hole.

"It's disgusting... This place..." Matrix walked away from his birth place, his hands once again hidden in his cloak.

He looked up, seeing the destroyed injector above him. Lightning flashed, and he saw himself flying through it, hitting the ground with a groan.

As he looked around, all he saw were memories. Getting smacked aside by Rose. Pearl stabbing Thea. His fight with Garnet. Slamming Pearl into the rock wall. Stabbing Tiger.

All of the memories were frozen in time around him. It seemed that even the rain had stopped in place.

"... What is this hell..?"

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Connie said, looking around from Lion's back.

"Yep... This is the Kindergarten." Steven said, looking around for Matrix.

"What a horrible place... This is where Matrix and Amethyst came from?" Connie arched a brow at Steven, who nodded silently.

"There he is." Steven pointed at Matrix, who was walking from the Kindergarten.

"Should we go up and talk to him?" Connie asked.

"Well I would... But he doesn't exactly look too... What's the word?" Steven asked.

"Stable?" Connie suggested.

"Yup, that's the word." Steven nodded.

* * *

Matrix stood in the middle of the grassy field next to the Kindergarten. He stood under a single tree, which loomed over him. The tree had a spear with a cloak hanging on it under it.

He looked down at the ground under the tree, sitting before it. "It's been awhile... Thea..."

Steven got off of Lion with Connie, walking slowly towards Matrix, who sat silent, staring at the ground.

"Was it my fault, Steven..?" Matrix addressing the young gem made him jump. "If it wasn't for me, she would have lived longer..."

"..." Steven didn't know what to say. But after a moment of nothing, he grabbed Matrix, putting his arms around him, much to the shock of the Tigers Eye Gem.

"..." Matrix remained silent, his left eye beginning to glow.

The orange light flashed from his eye, taking the form of a scene before the three, much like what Pearl's gem could do.

"Thea, just promise me." The Matrix in the vision said.

"No." She shook her head. "If you're going, I'm going too."

"I can't let you get hurt!" Matrix said.

"I've seen what happens when you get around those other Gem's Matrix... They start to get to you." Thea shook her head. "You need me there."

"Thea, you'll get killed! Do you have any idea what you being dead would do to me?!" Matrix suddenly snapped at her.

"... Fine." Thea sat against the tree.

The vision seemed to skip, and lightning crackled across the sky in the back ground of the vision. Rain was falling.

Matrix set a motionless Thea before the tree, his hair covering his eyes. A cloak suddenly appeared over his body. The first time he'd ever put it on...

"... You didn't listen..." Matrix said, both in the vision and in reality.

Matrix began digging a hole under the tree in the vision. "If... If you'd just listened..." Both Matrix's were speaking in unison.

"Why?!" They suddenly snapped. "Why is my life worth more than yours?!" They were yelling at a dead body...

"Is it because I live longer?!" Tears rolled down the Matrix in the vision's face. "Is it because I'm physically stronger than you?!" Matrix grabbed his hair, crying.

"Is it because I can survive getting stabbed and you can't?! Is it because I don't have to eat drink or breath?! Is it because you're real and I'm not?!" Matrix fell to his knees.

"All I am is a damn rock, Thea..." Matrix buried his face in his hands, shaking his head. "I'm Just Another Stone..."

Steven and Connie's eyes were wide. Neither of them could speak from the lump in their throats.

"I was never worth more than you..." Matrix said after vision faded, staring at the ground.

"..." The children remained silent, staring at Matrix with wide eyes.

Steven put his arms around Matrix in a hug once again. "... She'd be happy to see what you're doing now... You know that right..?" Steven said, and Matrix shook his head.

"I don't know kid..."

"I uh... I don't know much about this but... I know she cared about you." Connie put a hand on Matrix's back. "That's why she tried to save you..."

"..." Matrix climbed to his feet, turning and walking away from the tree. "Come on you two,"

 **"We've got a couple clods to put in their place."**

* * *

 **Well then. That all happened. No need to worry Randal, Matrix isn't dead. If I were to kill him off, he would die in a way better way.  
**

 **Probably.**

 **But yeah, this chapter got a little heavy.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	16. Chapter 16: Awakening

**Thanks go to Randal435, Cfintimidator, the Imprisoned of Hell, Derp, Duck, Guest, and TennisCat.  
**

 **Glad to see your back Tennis.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

The Warp Pad lit up, and after the light faded, Matrix, Steven, Connie, and Lion all stood on it.

"Huh..." Matrix looked around the room, seeing that none of the gems were there anymore.

"That's weird..." Steven said.

"Do you think they went into their rooms?" Connie questioned.

"It's possible. But if so... Then where's Peridot? She doesn't have a room here..." Matrix walked up to the door, opening it. His eyes widened.

"What is it?" Steven pushing under Matrix's arm, and his eyes widened as well. Connie pushed under Matrix's other arm, and they all stood with wide eyes.

The beach was in tatters. Rocks were crushed, the sand was turned to craters.

"Oh no..." Matrix pulled his spear from his eye after Steven spoke, turning to look at the two.

"You two stay behind me. It's possible that Lignite and Eclipse came back..." Matrix said, looking around the Beach.

"Uh... I don't think so." Connie said, pointing to the large foot prints coming out of the water.

"What could have left those?" Matrix arched a brow at the children, and Steven's eyes widened.

"M-... Malachite..!"

* * *

Three hours earlier

"Uh... Hate to interrupt the depression fest but... Where's Matrix and the kids?" Amethyst asked, coming out of her depression first.

"..." No one had a response.

"That's... A good question." Peridot stood, one of her gloves reappearing over her hand. The fingers dispersed, making a screen.

As she was about to command 'Find Matrix', shaking rocked the beach.

"What's that?" Peridot glanced at Pearl, who was staring out the window with wide eyes.

"... Garnet, we've got trouble."

"What is it-" Garnet stopped, her eyes laying upon the green fusion roaring on the beach.

"Now?! Really?! She resurfaced NOW?!" Amethyst shrieked, watching at the water chains broke around Malachite's limbs, and she roared in rage and agony.

"What is that?!" Peridot asked the others.

"The fusion of Jasper and Lapis Lazuli. After the ship came down, Jasper fused with Lapis in attempt to beat us. But Lapis tricked her, and used the fusion as a sort of jail cell, dragging both of them underwater." Garnet explained.

"But the fusion was unstable... And now it's free..." Pearl gulped.

"GET OUT HERE!" Malachite roared. "I KNOW YOU'RE HERE!" It didn't sound like Lapis or Jasper.

They really were Malachite now.

* * *

"Look at this..." Connie picked up a gem that resembled a Pearl, which sat between two broken rocks.

"So you're telling me that psychotic fusion is on the loose somewhere right now?!" Matrix asked Steven in shock.

"Uh... I think I might know where she is..." Steven pointed towards the city, which had smoke swirling up from it.

"Oh God no..." Matrix said, hearing the screams of the innocent. "We need to get over there, now!"

* * *

"Pearl!" Amethyst shrieked, watching as Pearl was slammed down onto a rock, her body being crushed by the water hand and the rock, which split into two under the force. She returned to her Gem.

Amethyst whipped at Malachite, who blocked with a water hand, grinning. Amethyst was yanked into the air, the water hand pulling on the whip.

As Amethyst flew through the air, Garnet shot by, catching her and rolling as she hit the ground.

"Jasper! Lapis!" Peridot stood on a boulder, firing beams at the fusion. None of them did a thing. "Snap out of it!"

"Peridot? What, you're with these guys now?" Malachite grinned, a water hand shooting at Peridot, who just barely managed to jump off the boulder in time.

Peridot landed on her side, wincing as she quickly scrambled to her feet, dodging another hand trying to crush her.

"Good, we never liked you anyway!" Malachite grinned, her hands reaching out for Peridot.

"Oh well now I'm hurt." Peridot said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she fired a beam into the hands from both arms, making the water evaporate from the heat.

A third hand came down the middle, smashing into her and throwing her back through the air, flying away from the battle.

"We need Matrix and Steven!" Amathyst said, jumping back from another hand.

"Where the hell are they?!" Garnet said, punching a water hand into bits before it reformed. The hand grabbed her as another grabbed Amethyst.

"You know... I have another place I want to fight." The maniacal grin that spread across her face clearly meant no good.

* * *

Matrix and the children ran towards the city, not looking at the destroyed buildings round them. It seemed as though everyone had gotten out of their as fast as possible.

"Steven! There you are!" A voice said, and they all turned, looking to see Greg standing in his car wash, It's a Wash. He motioned for them to come quick, so they did.

"I think she needs your help..." Greg said, pointing towards Peridot, who was laying in a lawn chair, unconscious. A crack ran across the Gem in her forehead.

Matrix's eyes widened at the sight. His hands clenched into fists, his left hand clenching his spear hard enough to make it snap into two.

"Uh... You alright..?" Connie looked up at Matrix sceptically.

Before Matrix could answer, they heard a crash outside, and they quickly looked out through the car exit, their eyes widening at what they saw.

Amethyst had crashed into the roof of the car wash, and fell to the ground exploding into her Gem. Garnet was being held by one hand, Malachite grinning as she slowly crushed the fusion.

"All of you stay here..." Matrix pulled his hood over his head.

But Matrix-"

"No! You heal Peridot, and then you can come and fight. Until then, stay here and devise some sort of plan." Matrix walked from the car wash, walking slowly towards the fight.

"But shouldn't you be the one with the plan?" Connie arched a brow at Matrix who stopped, turning to them and smirking.

"I'm not a plan guy, kid. I'm more of a... Do something stupid guy."

* * *

Garnet struggled, feeling the pressure crushing her body.

"Aw, what's the matter? Can't handle a little hold? I was stuck under the weight of the ocean for some time. I guess we know who's fusion is stronger, huh?" Malachite grinned, moving Garnet close to her face.

Which Garnet spat in.

"... Bitch." Malachite dropped Garnet, who hit the ground and laid motionless, groaning.

Malachite rose one foot into the air, preparing to smash Garnet.

"Hey! Green bitch!"

Malachite turned, seeing Matrix standing on top of The Big Donut.

"Hm. I figured you'd be working with them too. Once a traitor, always a traitor." Malachite almost sounded like Jasper.

"Didn't stop you from hitting me." Matrix smirked, and Malachite growled, her fist shooting out towards Matrix, who stood calm.

The fist hit him, but seemed to faze through. Upon closer inspection, Malachite realized it was a hologram from Matrix's eye.

"Where the hell-" Malachite was cut off, a stabbing pain hitting her shoulder. She turned, seeing Matrix spinning on the spear that he'd stabbed into her shoulder, smashing his foot into the side of her face.

Malachite growled in pain as Matrix jumped off, landing on his feet. Malachite had swung too late, only managing to break off his spear.

"Down here, idiot." Matrix gave a two fingered wave as Malachite roared, slamming one hand down on where he was. Once again, it was a hologram.

"Your bad at this." Matrix said, standing atop Malachite's head.

Malachite roared, reaching up at him. He jumped, throwing his spear down at her hands as they met at the top of her head.

The spear pierced her hands, sticking them to her skull for a moment. Malachite roared, tearing out the spear with ease.

Blood trickled down her head as she turned, looking at Matrix, who waved. She thought about swinging, but realized it couldn't be him.

"Not gonna attack, huh?" Another Matrix said from behind her.

"I think she's catching on." Another said, standing at her side.

"Nah, she's not smart enough." Another said at her other side.

Malachite roared, spinning and hitting each of the Matrix's, which were all holograms.

"Apparently you aren't smart enough to realize I could only project that many from above." Matrix said, standing atop her head once again. As she swung at him, he slid down her head, landing on his shoulder and pulling his spear from his eye, stabbing at Malachite's face.

Jasper's helmet suddenly appeared around her head, blocking the spear.

"Ah crap..." Matrix was smacked aside, slamming into The Big Donut.

"I've got you now." She grinned.

"Do you?" Matrix said from her shoulder, and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not gonna fall for your stupid little hologram trick again."

"Ya sure?" Another said, leaning against her side. When Malachite looked away to see that hologram, Matrix moved quickly. She looked back, and it seemed as though he was just pulling himself out of the roof.

"It won't work!" She slammed her fist into the roof of The Big Donut, and her eyes widened.

"Another one?!" She looked around, seeing she was surrounded. "Heh... Well then I know he's above me!" Malachite looked up, seeing Matrix coming down towards her.

She swung, but her hand fazed right through! Her eyes widened, seeing the real Matrix behind that one. None of her arms were close enough to block the attack.

Matrix grinned, stabbing his spear through her eye!

Malachite roared, grabbing her eye in pain as Matrix jumped off, landing on his feet and shooting off the ground at her.

"Gah! You damn dirty traitor! I'm going to kill you!" Malachite roared, all of her eyes closed as she stumbled around, holding her eye.

Matrix jumped off of the ground, pulling one fist back with a grin. He slammed his fist into her nose gem, and her eyes widened in pain.

"You cheep shooting bastard..!" Malachite backed up slowly, holding her nose gem in pain. A tiny crack ran through it.

Her eyes widened, feeling something leaning against the side of her head. One of her eyes opened, looking slowly At Matrix, who's hood was finally down as he stared right back at her, murder in his eyes.

Malachite's eyes widened in what could only be fear before Matrix's spear stabbed into her other eye, and she roared in agony. Matrix stabbed another spear into her shoulder, keeping himself there as she trashed.

"You know, you've really pissed me off." Matrix grinned, though his teeth were gritting in anger.

"G-get off of me!" Malachite demanded, swinging at Matrix, who jumped over the swing. He landed on her hand, pulling his spear from his eye. He stabbed into her hand, and jumped over the spear, jumping back on it and catapulting himself at Malachite's face, slamming both feet into one of the spears, ramming it further into her eye!

Malachite fell, landing on her back. Matrix grabbed hold of the two spears, yanking them from her two top eyes. Jasper's eyes.

Malachite roared in agony, and Matrix pulled his spears into the air.

"I have been getting daily ass kickings for the past week, and I am feed up with it!" Matrix stabbed Malachite once, yanking the spear free a second later.

"This is for the town!" Stab.

"This is for the Crystal Gems!" Stab.

"This is for hitting me!" Stab.

"This is for traumatizing the kids!" Stab.

"And this is for Peridot!" Matrix stabbed both spears through Malachite's throat, watching as she lit up in white, exploding into two gems. A blue rain drop and an orange thin diamond.

Matrix panted, throwing his spears to the side as they disappeared.

"Whoa..." Steven said, watching with wide eyes from about ten feet away.

"I know, right..?" Connie glanced at Steven.

"This is for Peridot, huh?" Peridot smirked, crossing her arms. She stood between the two children.

Matrix's eyes widened as he turned to look at them. "Uh... Well... I just didn't really include you in the Crystal Gems, so I included you there. That's all..." Matrix crossed his arms, looking to the side.

"Whatever you say." Peridot said in a mocking tone, walking over to inspect the two gems.

* * *

"What exactly are we doing here, sir?" Howlite asked, looking around the strawberry field they walked through. He clearly wasn't too happy to be there.

"I just need to check on something." Lignite answered simply, looking around the multiple patches of strawberry's for something.

"What could you possibly need to check on?"

"Maybe it's the head of the last person who asked too many questions."

"... Message received."

"Good. Now go and do something else." Lignite sat before a particular patch of strawberries.

"What..? But sir-"

"Severed head."

"... Right, right." Howlite rolled his eyes after turning away from Lignite, walking away.

Lignite sat in silence before the patch of strawberries. He just let his memories hit him once again.

"See? I told you I'd be back." Was he smiling?

* * *

"You got here just in time, Matrix." Garnet said, struggling to stand. Steven had healed her, but she was still lacking energy.

They were walking slowly towards the house, Matrix having Jasper's gem in a bubble while Steven held Lapis's in his hands, staring at it.

"Yeah..." Matrix looked exhausted. The force he'd had to use just to pierce that things skin...

"I just hope they don't show up now that we're weak like they did last time..." Peridot said, looking at the darkening sky. Night was falling.

"Well even if they do, we can always assemble the human defense force!" Steven said, and Connie laughed.

"Something tells me your buddies wouldn't be up for that again." Matrix said. "We barely managed to keep them all alive last time."

"I'm so sick of these 'round the clock fights..." Peridot groaned.

"You and me both." Garnet said, reaching under her shades and rubbing her eyes. Well, two of them, anyway.

Once they reached the house, Connie having gone off to her home, everyone but Matrix collapsed, falling asleep instantly.

Matrix looked around the room of sleeping gems, shrugging and stepping out, looking up at the statue outside.

Soon enough he stood on the same hand he'd stood on with Peridot the morning after the party. Once again he blew into the party horn, as it seemed to just be something he did when he was thinking.

He still had the bubbled Jasper next to him, as he didn't trust it in the building of unconscious gems.

"I'm sure she'll cause trouble when she wakes up..." Matrix looked at the bubble that he held in his hand. Steven had healed the small crack in her gem.

Of course.

"I might just hand you over to the others because I really do not want to deal with trying to convince you to join us..." Matrix groaned tiredly, leaning against one of the giant fingers on the hand.

His eyes closed for a moment, and when they next opened he saw Tiger standing in front of him.

"Oh good lord Peridot was right..." Matrix jumped to his feet, reaching to his eye.

"Calm down, Matrix." Tiger said. "I'm not here to fight."

"..." Matrix sceptically let go of the handle of the spear. "Then what do you want?"

"What is with you and this stupid rebellion thing, Matrix?" Tiger arched a brow at him. "Don't you get how pointless it is?"

"Rose Quartz did it once." Matrix shrugged.

Tiger scoffed. "You aren't Rose Quartz, Matrix. And you don't have an army. You've got a small gang, at best, of weaklings."

"Maybe you could help me change that, sister." Matrix offered his hand to his sister. "We're two sides of the same coin. Don't tell me you haven't thought of leaving before."

Tiger looked slightly surprised by her brother's offer, stepping back slightly. "We're complete opposites. Opposite sides of the same coin. Heads and Tails."

"Tiger, you don't really believe that."

"Unlike you, I'm not dumb enough to betray the Diamonds."

"Dumb enough or brave enough?"

Tiger growled, her clawed glove appearing over her hand. "I wish you'd never met that stupid human! She's the one who tore us apart..."

"She's the one who opened my eyes." Matrix spoke calmly. He hadn't pulled out his weapon.

"She infected you with this terminal Earth-Loving disease!" Tiger shot forward, but Matrix side stepped her.

"You just catch it after prolonged contact with the planet and it's inhabitants." Was Matrix making jokes?

Tiger growled, swinging at Matrix. Matrix backed up in time to dodge it. "Take this seriously, damn it! I'm trying to kill you!"

"Are you?" Matrix arched a brow at her as she clawed at him. Matrix caught her claw. "Tell me, Tiger. Why did you come here? Was it to convince me to join you? Was it so I could convince you to join me? Was it really to kill me?"

"It was to distract you."

Matrix turned quickly, seeing Emerald standing at the other side of the hand casually.

"What?" He looked down, Seeing Eclipse standing on the beach, holding five bubbles. Each of them were grey, but still easy enough to see into to see they held the gems of Amethyst, Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, and Peridot.

Amazonite held Steven over her shoulder.

Matrix's eyes widened in shock before it turned to rage. "I'll kill you!" Matrix pulled his spear from his eye, shooting off the ground at Emerald, when the bubble between the two began to glow.

Jasper burst form the bubble in an instant, looking scared and confused.

Matrix thought fast, looking around. He couldn't win. The only ones not here were Lignite and Howlite.

Matrix quickly grabbed Jasper, jumping from the hand and towards the ground, hearing Jasper yell in shock.

Matrix landed with a roll, still holding Jasper, who was groaning in pain, and running towards the house. He broke through the door, looking around quickly. He saw the teardrop gem sitting under Steven's pillow. Clearly hidden hastily by the human gem.

Matrix quickly grabbed it, running and jumping through the window, hearing people chasing him. He looked to his side, realizing Lion was running by his side.

"Where are we going?! What are you doing?!" Jasper questioned, running with the gem as he practically dragged her.

"I'll explain later!" Matrix noticed Connie walking towards the house, clearly going to visit Steven.

"Matrix?! What's going on-" Connie was cut off, getting scooped up by the Tigers Eye Gem.

"We've got a problem!"

Matrix saw the car wash, and Greg sleeping in a lawn chair in front of it. Matrix grabbed the father of Steven, waking him as he dragged him as well, Connie and Jasper now running behind him, Jasper deciding to just follow along.

"M-Matrix?! What's going on?!" Matrix threw Greg into the drivers seat of his van, throwing the other two in the back and jumping into the passenger seat.

"I'll explain later! Floor it!"

Greg did as he was told, pushing the pedal to the floor and speeding off into the distance. Lion ran quickly next to them.

He looked in the rear-view mirror, and his eyes widened. Behind them was Amazonite, sprinting after them.

"What is going on?!" Greg asked, looking with worried eyes to Matrix.

"Everyone was out of commission after fighting Malachite, when the Homeworld Gems showed up. They got everyone else..." Matrix ran a hand through his hair as they lost Amazonite.

"W-what?!" Greg and Connie said in unison. Jasper was just confused.

"They've got your son, Greg..." Matrix stared at the floor of the Van, and Greg's eyes widened in horror.

"Whoa whoa whoa, why exactly am I here?" Jasper said. "I mean... What happened while I was in the ocean with that blue brat?"

"Okay, Long story short," Matrix went on to explain everything that happened after she was dragged into the ocean.

"..." Jasper's eyes were wide. "Okay... But, why do you think I'll help you, traitor?"

Matrix sighed, rolling his eyes. "Okay, Jasper. Lignite the Savage is with them, right? So how do you think Lignite the Savage would react to a gem that failed a mission that he considers to be unbelievably simple?"

"... He'd probably crush my Gem..." Jasper said, looking to the ground.

"Exactly. So what chance do you have of survival?" Matrix arched a brow at her.

"... If I fight with you..." Jasper groaned, running a hand through her hair.

"Good job." Matrix said sarcastically, leaning back in his seat and groaning.

"Well..." Connie said, starring out the window as they left Beach City.

 **"This... This is really bad, isn't it..?"**

* * *

 **Well. Sh!t hit the fan pretty quick. I mean, it was in a box across the room, and the fan wasn't even going, and then it just flew from the box and the fan started going a hundred miles per hour in like a second.  
**

 **Enter 'Zero to a hundred real quick' joke here.**

 **I don't even think I've heard that song.**

 **Is that even a song?**

 **Eh.**

 **I know I probably should have separated the Malachite thing and the 'oh sh!t they got everyone' thing, but when I type these, I usually think of them being two episodes in the series. Like how 'The Returning' and 'Jail Break' are.**

 **Well, for some of these, anyway.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	17. Chapter 17: Ragtag Team

**Thanks go to Randal435, The Imprisoned of Hell,** **Cfintimidator, Dorito mohito, and TennisCat.**

 **I got it out just before Steven Bomb 3.0.**

 **Woo hoo for the Tuxedo Dorito.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

"Well that went well." Emerald said sarcastically, watching as Amazonite came back empty handed.

"It did." Eclipse said, grinning. "We've got the Crystal Gems."

"But who's to say Matrix will come back for them?" Emerald said. "I mean, it's likely he will, but he's not exactly... The most trustworthy person."

"Oh, he'll come." Eclipse grinned, looking at the bubble holding Peridot's Gem. "I see everything, you know..." Was he talking to the Gem?

"And you and I both know Matrix is dumb enough to come to help you..."

* * *

Matrix sighed, running a hand through his hair. He sat against the wall of a cave, where Greg had parked his van. "I can't believe they got us like this..." Matrix groaned.

"You and me both..." Greg was pacing at the mouth of the cave, glancing out into the night to make sure nothing was there.

"I can't believe they got everyone..." Connie said, leaning against Lion.

"I can't believe I got roped into this." Jasper rolled her eyes, staring out at the forest below them. They'd take a small path off the road up to the cave.

"I can't believe you were smart enough to come with us." Matrix laughed halfheartedly.

"Alright Matrix, just tell me, what's the plan?" Jasper turned to Matrix. "We've got two warriors, a brat who's good at tricking people, some kid with a sword, a lion, and a middle aged man."

"And they've got a super genius, a giant four armed woman, your crazy sister, a super powered fusion that I'm fully convinced cannot be killed, Some blade spinning maniac, and a disgruntled Wolfman." Greg shook his head, rubbing his bald scalp.

"I hate to say it Matrix... But..." Connie shook her head, looking down. "It's hopeless. We can't win..."

"I'm not giving up." Matrix looked out at the forest from his place on the floor, his teeth gritting. He stood, walking towards the mouth of the cliff. He pulled the party horn from his pocket, blowing into it.

* * *

"Stop making that damn noise..." Howlite pinched the bridge of his nose, turning and glaring at Peridot as she blew into the Party Horn.

Peridot didn't respond by saying something, she instead held up her middle finger, continuing to blow into the Party Horn.

"... I'm going to devour you..." Howlite growled under his breath, turning back to the screen in front of him.

They were all in grey bubbles, though the bubbles were much larger than the ones made to bubble gems. And much stronger. They were lined up on small rock plateaus.

Ruby was on the far right, and Sapphire on the far left. Ruby was rocking back and forth, her eyes wide. Sapphire sat quietly, her knees pulled up to her chest and her head down.

Steven was directly in the middle looking around at the others, checking to see who they'd caught. A bit of hope twinkled in him when he saw they didn't have Matrix, Connie, or Lion. As for Jasper and Lapis, he didn't know what they would do...

Pearl sat to Steven's right, sitting like Peridot, one knee pulled up, her arm draped over it. Amethyst was at his left, leaning against the wall facing Steven.

Peridot was next to Ruby at the right of the room. "So this is it, huh?" Peridot glanced at Pearl, who sat next to her.

"It looks that way..." A bit of panic was creeping into Pearl's voice.

"Hey! Don't give up!" Steven said, jumping to his feet. "They didn't get Matrix or anyone else! They'll save us!"

"In case you didn't notice, last time little ol' Matrix tried to fight us, he ended up with a cracked gem and two missing arms. He's no match for us." Howlite glanced at Steven with a condescending look.

"No, last time Matrix fought you, he turned into a giant tiger and beat you into the ground." Peridot said casually before blowing into the Party Horn.

"..." She'd clearly gotten under Howlite's skin. "I'm going to enjoy proving you all wrong."

* * *

Matrix stood at the mouth of the cave, everyone either asleep or deeper in the cave.

Matrix ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head as he looked out at the night. "Damn it... If I'd just been there..."

 _"That meant nothing."_

 _Totally meant nothing."_

Matrix found himself laughing lightly, shaking his head.

 _"You're going to die motionless and alone!"_

"Was he right..?" Matrix wondered aloud, sitting with his legs dangling over the edge.

"Was who right?" Connie's voice made Matrix jump, flailing his arms.

"Oh... It's just you..." Matrix said, calming down.

"You can't sleep either, eh?" Connie sat next to Matrix.

"Nope... Too much to think about..." Matrix ran a hand through his hair. "This is certainly stressful..."

"We've never been in a situation like this without Steven..." Connie said, looking down with worry in her eyes.

"Heh." Matrix smirked lightly, looking at her. "You really care about him, huh?"

"W-well he's my friend!" Connie said before looking down again, a light red on her cheeks.

"That's adorable." Matrix laughed lightly, leaning against the wall as he looked out from the mouth of the cave.

"W-well you kissed Peridot on the roof!" Connie said, and Matrix's eyes widened.

"W-what?! Who told you that?!" Matrix said, his eyes wide and his face red.

"Steven tells me everything." Connie grinned.

"W-well it didn't mean anything..." Matrix crossed his arms, looking out into the forest.

"Then who in particular were you thinking about while you were up here?"

"..."

"That's what I thought." Connie smirked triumphantly, looking out over the edge.

"Don't think I won't throw you off of here, kid." Matrix glared at her, though the red on his face was still apparent.

Connie laughed. "You can't throw me off of here. I'm your third most powerful fighter." Connie joked.

"Yeah. What would we do without the bronze metal?" Matrix laughed.

"Hey, don't I get counted?" They turned, seeing Lapis standing behind them.

Matrix sighed in relief, glad to see she was up. "Good, we're going to need you."

"So I've heard." Lapis said. "Greg filled me in."

"So it looks like all of the first Homeworld Gems are on our side!" Connie grinned happily as she sat up, and Matrix smirked lightly as well.

"Yeah. Man, if you'd told me two months ago I was going to be trying to save the Crystal Gems with two humans and two Gems that at the time I didn't particularly care for, I would have called you crazy." Matrix put a hand on his head.

"If you told me two days ago that I'd be freed by someone yelling 'This is for Peridot!' and stabbing Malachite in the throat, I would have called you crazy." Lapis grinned mockingly at Matrix, who's eyes narrowed and shoulders dropped.

"Is everyone going to mock me for that crap..?"

"Hey, I haven't got my shot in." Jasper grinned, leaning against the wall.

"Well if everyone else is doing it I might as well." Greg shrugged.

"Oh what a great and faithful team I've assembled." Matrix said sarcastically, and they all began to laugh.

It was strange, being able to laugh in such a serious time. As if tomorrow they weren't all going to face their death.

As if this wasn't it.

* * *

"So they're coming in the morning?" Lignite arched a brow at Eclipse, who nodded.

"Yep. Unfortunately they've been interrupting my Sight with some sort of old Gem artifact." Eclipse shook his head. "But I know they'll be coming tomorrow."

"Hm. And they managed to get Jasper on their side too, hm? Makes sense. She knows what would happen if we got a hold of her." Lignite said calmly.

"Yes." Eclipse grinned. "If she hadn't screwed up, we wouldn't be here."

"She's not strong enough to pose a threat anyway." Lignite shrugged. "Not to us, anyway."

Lignite smirked to himself, remembering his bit of 'training' with Howlite.

 _"So you really want to try to figure out corruption?" Howlite arched a brow at Lignite, who nodded._

 _"I need more power..."_

 _"... I'm uh... I'm pretty sure you're set, Lignite." Howlite shook his head. "I don't know. I hope you're aware of how badly this can mess you up?"_

 _"Are you going to teach me or not?!"_

 _"U-Um of course..! But don't try using this until your training is complete. It will take longer than this whole Earth Thing."_

* * *

"So where are they, anyway?" Greg questioned.

"I can only guess they're camped out in Beach City. Luckily, the city's still empty from the fight with Malachite." Matrix said, looking at the rising sun. He pulled something from his pocket, handing it to Greg.

"Here." He said, and Greg's eyes widened.

"Isn't this one of those... Gem Destabilizer things?"

"Yeah. I've had one since I came to this planet, but I never used it because... Well, I hate the damn things. They give me an unfair advantage. As for you... I think it'll level the playing field a bit." Matrix smirked lightly.

"Heh... Thanks Matrix. I was a little worried about getting sidelined." Greg smiled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well now you can poke a gem and turn them to nothing so... Be aware of that power." Matrix awkwardly patted Greg's head, unaware of what else to do.

"So we're going back to the city?" Connie asked, looking at the others from her place at the mouth of the cave.

"Sounds like it, kid." Jasper said, her arms crossed as she thought.

"So uh... No hard feelings?" Lapis arched a brow at Jasper, who frowned.

"Lets just get this over with." Jasper said, walking to Greg's van.

Lapis shrugged. "Close enough." She followed Jasper.

* * *

"Why are we the front line, again?" Emerald asked Amazonite, both of them hiding before the entrance to Beach City.

"If I had to guess, it'd be because we're the most expendable." Amazonite spoke slow before sighing.

"Well that's a great feeling." Emerald rolled his eyes, sitting against a rock with his arms crossed as they waited.

A van labeled Universe was driving down the road, and Amazonite grinned. "Here they come."

Amazonite suddenly stepped out in front of the van, grinning as she held her arms out to her sides.

The van door suddenly opened, and Connie shot from it with Lion, roaring as she sliced past Amazonite.

Amazonite winced, blood flying through the air as her chest was sliced open before Lion rammed into her, throwing her to the ground.

"Oh crap they were ready." Emerald said, jumping with a blank expression at Connie, his energy blade appearing as they collided, their blades colliding.

"What?! How can your sword match my energy blade?!" Emerald had to ask as Connie jumped, spinning and swinging at him, a swing that he blocked with his blade.

"This isn't just any sword!" Connie shot forward at Emerald.

"This is the blade of Rose Quartz!"

* * *

"You sure the human's are gonna be alright?" Jasper arched a brow at Matrix as they ran across the ridge overlooking Beach City. "N-not that I'm worried about them, or anything..."

Matrix laughed lightly. "It's the little one isn't it? Those kids are adorable..." Matrix laughed. "But yeah, I'm sure they'll be fine."

Jasper rolled her eyes. "How can you know?"

"I've seen that kid fight. She went toe to toe with Moonstone once." Matrix said, looking down at the beach as they approached the temple.

"Really..?" Jasper arched a brow at Matrix in surprise.

"Yeah. She's pretty strong for a-" Matrix cut himself off, hunching low as he looked at the beach. There Tiger and Eclipse stood, waiting. "Get down!" He ordered, and Jasper did as she was ordered.

Just as they were about to look in the direction of Matrix and Jasper, the water shifted.

"Hm?" Tiger looked at the water, when a hand of water suddenly shot from it, grabbing her! "Gah!"

"Gotcha." Lapis smirked, floating from the water.

Eclipse grinned, shooting at her. "Really? They sent a weakling like you to fight me?!"

Suddenly, Lapis shot into the air, the ocean coming up below her. She didn't make a pillar as tall as the one she'd made when Steven released her, not by a long shot, but she was still at least twenty feet in the air.

Eclipse stopped before hitting the water, the water beginning to shift. Suddenly, an Eclipse made of Water stepped from it, and Eclipse's eyes widened, his grin spreading.

"Oh this is gonna be so much fun!"

* * *

Matrix and Jasper jumped down before the tower, looking around and back at Eclipse, who was going toe to toe with himself, and Tiger, who stood atop the pillar of water with Lapis, was jumping and trying to claw her but only getting blocked by water.

"That should keep them busy." Matrix smirked, stepping into Steven's home. There he found that the Gem door was forced open, and they had most likely used one of the Gems to do it.

Jasper and Matrix walked slowly into the room, which seemed to be the Heat Room, bubbles floating above them. Both of their weapons appeared as they looked around.

"So where's this Lignite guy supposed to be?" Jasper asked before her eyes widened as she was pushed to the side, Matrix jumping to the side as well.

One of Lignite's staves buzzed between them, and Matrix rolled, jumping to his feet and spinning his spear.

Lignite smirked as he walked from the shadows, spinning his second stave as the first came back to be caught by the Savage.

"Jasper, you go on ahead." Matrix said, he and Lignite circling one another.

"What?! You can't fight him alone!" Jasper protested.

"Look, there's only one more person here! And you can't be weakened when you fight him. So go, beat Howlite into the dirt, and free everyone else." Matrix said, his eyes not looking from Lignite's smirking face.

"But-"

"Go!"

Jasper stood for a moment before nodding, running off down the hallway.

"She won't be able to defeat Howlite, you know." Lignite said, his smirk widening.

"Just focus on our fight, Liggy." Matrix smirked in return, and the two shot off at one another.

* * *

Jasper ran quickly down the unknown hallway, seeing a dark light at the end of it.

She ran into a large room illuminated in red. She could see the others at the end of it, all surprised to see her.

"Jasper?!" They all said in unison, and she smirked.

"Surprised to see me?" She asked, walking towards their bubbles. Suddenly she turned, bringing her head down and blocking metallic teeth.

Howlite jumped back, frowning. His mouth was encased in a metal maw.

"So you're Howlite, then?" Jasper said, her hands clenching into fists as Howlite walked calmly, his hands in his pockets. They were circling one another.

"That's me." Howlite sighed. "Can't believe I got stuck with the muscle one."

"I can't believe I got stuck with the whiny one." Jasper grinned. "You look like someone who should be doing lab work, twiggy."

"You'd think that, yeah." A grin suddenly cracked across Howlite's face, and he shot off the ground at Jasper, his metal jaws crunching together again and again.

 **"But I'm actually a Military Dog!"**

* * *

 **I know, I know. Short chapter. But I wanted to have the fights in the next chapter so... Yeah. I cut it a little short. Sorry about that.  
**

 **I want to make this last really long by making it a chapter a fight, but there's no way I could stretch out the fights that far.**

 **Note: After this Saga I'll probably be slowing down a bit, as I'm kind of using up ideas faster than I can make them. I fear that I might burn myself out.**

 **The thing is, I don't really know what to do after this. I mean, I have a rough idea of what the ending will be, but everything from here to then is... Kinda fuzzy.**

 **I'm thinking about splitting this into two stories once I get to the whole ending Saga thing, because that will take AWHILE. And I mean AWHILE.**

 **So... Yeah. Look for the next chapter, because I'm probably going to start typing it soon after posting this. Because... Y'know... I've got a problem.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	18. Chapter 18: Finale (Part 1)

**Thanks go to Randal435, The Imprisoned of Hell, MarkyBoy, and Cfintimidator for their reviews.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

"You're getting on my nerves, kid." Emerald said, swinging at Connie. She jumped over his blade with ease, thrusting at his head, but Emerald blocked just as easily.

"Then maybe you should just give up!" Connie smirked, shooting off the ground at Emerald.

"Well I could," Emerald blocked her blade with his own. "But the kids would be really pissed..."

Amazonite's club was caught in Lion's teeth, and Amazonite growled, smacking the top of his head with another club.

Lion crushed the club in his jaws, jumping up and roaring in Amazonite's face, throwing her back into the dirt.

Amazonite skidded, slowly coming to a stop and managing to climb to her feet, growling. "Damn dirty feline..."

* * *

"Just!" Tiger swung, only hitting water. "Let me!" Tiger swung and missed. "Hit you!" She thrust her hand through the wall of water, and it pressurized, holding her hand in place.

"Gah!" She exclaimed as Lapis smirked, the water pulling her down into it, pressurizing around her.

"Well, that was easy." Lapis smirked, smacking her hands together as if to get dust off of them.

As if to prove her wrong, Tiger's hand shot through the water, grabbing her by the ankle and pulling her in.

Eclipse grinned, his fists colliding with his water clone. Even though it was water, it was just as sturdy as he was.

They both jumped back, pulling back one hand as something formed in there palm. For Eclipse, it was a ball of black energy. For his water clone, it was a spinning ball of water.

The two brought their hands forward, Eclipse firing a beam of energy and his clone firing a beam of high pressured water.

* * *

Jasper jumped to the side just in time, watching as Howlite bit into a rock pillar, chomping through it instantly.

"Your jaws are stronger than I woulda thought, twiggy." Jasper said, waiting for the grinning Howlite to attack again. Something in his eyes seemed... Animal-like.

"You've got this Jasper!" Steven cheered, being followed by a 'woo' from Amethyst.

Howlite jumped at Jasper again, but she caught him by the jaws, holding them open. She winced from the effort it took, bringing her knee up into Howlite's chest before pulling him up, slamming him down into the ground.

Howlite was motionless for a moment, before his eyes snapped open and his mouth opened, his tongue running across his teeth.

He spun, sweeping Jasper's legs out and jumping at her, pulling back one fist and slamming it into her face, making her bounce once.

Howlite jumped at her, but Jasper rose one leg, slamming it into his chest and throwing him back.

* * *

Matrix and Lignite collided once again, Matrix's spear being blocked by a spinning stave.

Lignite swung at him with the other, but he ducked under it, sending one foot up and landing a kick on his chin, throwing him into the air.

Matrix jumped into the air after him, going above him and raising his spear above him. As he brought it down, it was blocked by a stave, and Lignite spun, kicking Matrix in the side and throwing him down to the ground of the Burning Room.

Matrix landed on his feet, stabbing at the falling Lignite, who landed on the handle of the spear, kicking at Matrix, who blocked with his forearm.

Lignite back flipped off of the spear, landing on his feet. "You and I aren't so different, you know." Lignite said, spinning his staves as they circled one another.

"Oh great the classic bad guy 'we're the same' speech. Can't wait." Matrix rolled his eyes, and Lignite shook his head.

"No, it's not that." Lignite shook his head. "I wasn't always Lignite the Savage, you know."

"Do I really look like I care?" Matrix was convinced he was just trying to get him distracted.

"We are the same in the sense that we've both lost someone important to us." Lignite said, and knew he'd gotten Matrix's attention.

"Who could you have lost? The teacher you back stabbed?" From the look on Lignite's face, Matrix had clearly struck a nerve.

"No, it's not that." Lignite held back gritting teeth.

"Aw, did I strike a nerve?" Matrix said. The response he got was a spinning stave being thrown at him. He just barely dodged in time.

"I'm trying to tell you a story you idiotic child!" Lignite shot forward at Matrix, who stood ready.

* * *

Ruby growled, pounding her fists against the bubble around her.

"Calm down." Peridot said. "Jasper'll get us out."

"Really? You really believe that?!" Ruby snapped, and Peridot rolled her eyes.

"Just calm down. If I have faith in her than you should really have faith in her." Peridot said, watching as Jasper punched aside Howlite as he jumped at her to chomp her again.

"She's got him on the ropes!" Steven grinned, pumping a fist in the air.

"It appears that way but..." Pearl watched as Howlite stood again. He had been beaten into the ground multiple times, but he kept getting back up. It was like he was taking no damage at all. Like he didn't even feel it.

"Have some faith, P. That scrawny weirdo can''t keep getting back up. Jasper'll wear him down eventually." Amethyst said confidently.

"No..." Sapphire shook her head. "She can't keep this up..."

Jasper panted, slamming her fist into Howlite's chin as he dove at her again, sending him into the air. She jumped up, pulling her head back and slamming her helmet into Howlite's face, throwing him violently into the ground.

"That outta keep him down..." Jasper said, landing on her feet. Her eyes widened as Howlite shot from the smoke, chomping violently at her.

She barely had time to bring up one arm to defend, feeling the metal maw sink into her arm.

Jasper roared in pain, trying to shake Howlite off as he held tight, beginning to crush her arm.

"Jasper!" Steven exclaimed in shock.

Howlite pressed his feet to her chest, kicking off of her with a tear, taking a chunk of her arm with him.

Blood splattered on the floor as Howlite grinned psychotically, swallowing the chunk of meat.

He had tasted her blood now.

Jasper winced, panting as she held her arm, her blood dripping into a pool on the floor.

Howlite grabbed his head, grinning. He wasn't himself anymore.

 _ **Feed...**_

Though in reality it wasn't there, in Howlite's mind, a wolf loomed over him, blood seeping from it's mouth and onto his back, covering him.

"..." Howlite looked up at Jasper, who was glaring at him.

"Hunger..."

* * *

Lapis kicked off of Tiger, trying to get away from her. Tiger shot after her, but the water pressurized around her as Lapis shot from the pillar of water, her wings forming and keeping her in the air.

"I've got you now!" She said, the water continuing to pressurize on Tiger, making her roar in pain, though it wasn't heard through the water.

"Lets see your water tricks block this one!" Eclipse said, floating into the air and holding his hands above his head. Black energy began to form a large ball over his head.

The ball quickly grew to immense proportions, and Eclipse threw it at his water double, watching as it shot two beams of pressurized water, which were not nearly enough to stop the ball.

The ball collided with the water clone and exploded, knocking down Lapis's pillar. Tiger was knocked free, landing in the ocean and sinking out of sight.

"And then there was one." Eclipse grinned, turning to Lapis, who gulped.

* * *

Connie was kicked to the ground, panting as she attempted to sit up.

"Hm. Don't have quite enough stamina to keep up with me, huh kid?" Emerald cracked his knuckles, standing over Connie.

Connie panted, climbing to her feet, holding her sword shakily. It suddenly felt as though it was made of lead. "Shut... Up..."

"You know, if I was anyone else, I'd make this slow and painful." Emerald's energy blade appeared over his arm.

Emerald's eyes suddenly widened, a green crack going through his body. "A-ah crap... T-this is really how I get b-beat..?" Emerald burst to his gem, falling to the ground as the small gem once in the back of his left hand.

Greg smirked, standing where Emerald had stood a moment ago, holding the Gem Destabalizer given to him by Matrix.

"T-thanks, Mister Universe..." Connie smiled, taking Greg's hand and getting helped up.

"Don't mention it." Greg smiled before hearing a roar of pain, turning to see Lion smash into the ground in front of them.

"Your pet has some fight in it, I'll give it that." Amazonite said, cracking her knuckles.

"Oh this is bad..." Greg said, eyes wide as Amazonite loomed over them.

* * *

Jasper smashed into the ground, blood seeping from the claw marks and bite marks coating her body.

"What's the matter?!" Howlite grinned, panting like a mad dog. "No more empty threats? You sure you don't wanna call me twiggy one more time?"

"Jasper! Get up!" Steven called from his cell.

"Yeah! You can do it!" Amethyst followed.

Everyone seemed to be saying inspirational things as Howlite loomed over Jasper, his mouth opening, blood sticking between the metal jaws.

Jasper's hand suddenly shot up, grabbing him by the lower jaw. "You're starting to piss me off, twiggy."

"Huh... Well it seems the prey is trying to-" Howlite was cut off, a foot slamming into his chest and throwing him back while Jasper kept tight hold of his lower jaw.

A snap was heard, and blood flew through the air.

"Well it looks like the prey just declawed the predator." Jasper threw Howlite's lower jaw to the side, watching as the bottom half of the metal maw disappeared.

Some sort of distorted laughter was heard as Howlite climbed to his feet, the grin that would be on his face being shown by the crazy in his eyes.

"What are you laughing about, twiggy?" Jasper's eyes narrowed as Howlite suddenly stiffened, his muscles tightening. He fell to his hands and knees, fur sprouting from his flesh, his lower jaw regenerating.

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me..." Jasper said, slowly backing up as Howlite began to glow, growing larger.

"Jasper!" Peridot called. "You have to pop our bubbles! Quick, while he's transforming!"

Jasper nodded, beginning to spin, firing off the ground towards Ruby's bubble, smashing right through it before going up the wall, turning and shooting off towards Sapphire's, smashing through it.

But as she went to pop more of them, a white flash slammed into her side, throwing her into the wall. She exploded into the wall, making a Jasper shaped dent in the rock.

A large wolf crept slowly towards Jasper, panting like an animal, growling and barring his teeth. He was about eight feet tall of you were to stand him on his hind legs, and was bulky enough to crush Lion.

His fur was a pure white, though the cracks that usually ran across Howlite's face had crept into his eye. The cracks were now only on his face.

Howlite's maw opened, showing his teeth, which were covered in saliva. Jasper gulped.

In an instant, Howlite was in a crater in the ground, a purple flash shooting from the smoke and landing next to Jasper.

"Ah, this is better." Garnet cracked her knuckles, smirking. "Now why don't you get out of that crater? You aren't fooling anyone."

The response they got was a loud howl followed by a visible shock wave shooting at them. The two jumped to opposite sides, Howlite shooting from the smoke at Garnet.

"Jasper! Quick!" Steven said. "Get me out, and I can heal you!"

Jasper looked back at Garnet, who was struggling to hold back Howlite's jaws. "Sorry kid, I'm a little busy."

Jasper spun, shooting off the ground at Howlite in her ball form, ramming into Howlite and throwing him away from Garnet, jumping off of him and landing on her feet.

* * *

Matrix and Lignite stood, both of their weapons stuck somewhere in the walls or pillars of the Burning Room.

They stood before one another, slamming their fists into the others face. It was like some sort of boxing match... They just stood their, continuing to punch one another, neither of them budging.

"Why-" Lignite landed a punch as he was punched. "Are you-" Lignite was punched. "Stronger than you were before?!" Lignite slammed his fist into Matrix's face.

Matrix's head remained in the position it had been forced into after the punch. "Well that's simple." Matrix's head came back up, a smirk on his face. "You messed with my home." Matrix's eyes narrowed, his teeth gritting as he suddenly slammed his fist into Lignite's face, throwing him back.

 **"AND THAT PISSED ME OFF!"**

* * *

 **Okay, I know. Another short chapter. But I'm just typing fights, and I'd like for this entire thing to last longer than Beach City Brawl did. So... Yeah.  
**

 **But don't worry. The ending will be worth it. That being said, next chapter won't exactly be Finale (Part 2). It'll be a bit of back story on one of the characters.**

 **No, it's not Matrix.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	19. Notice

**ECH**

 **EEEEECCCCHHHHHHH**

 **Okay, I'm sorry. I can't bring myself to do this again.**

 **I was typing the next chapter, and when I went to save it when I was almost done, and whenever I do, I copy all of it and save it so I'll have it copied encase I lose everything somehow.**

 **Well unfortunately, I clicked paste instead of copy.**

 **So f#ck that chapter.**

 **Started retyping, started catching up to where I was, went to save,**

 **DID THE SAME F#CKING THING.**

 **So I'm angry beyond belief, and if you've ever lost a chapter even once, you never wanna try to type it again.**

 **So with that in mind, this next chapter might take a few extra days.**

 **It won't take too long.**

 **Probably.**

 **So yeah, sorry about that.**

 **Luckily, I didn't lose all of it this time, so I'll probably actually be able to continue because I don't have to start over entirely.**

 **Sorry for making you think this was a chapter.**

 **Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go curl up under my bed in a ball and strangle one of my cats.**

 **What?**

 **There's a reason half of my characters are psychopaths, guys.**

 **(Chill, I'm not actually going to murder my cat.)**

 **XWolf26, out**


	20. Chapter 19: Episode of Lignite

**Okay, I'm finally here. Sorry if some of the chapter seems a bit half assed, but I've had to retype this a few times so...**

 **Deal with it.**

 **MarkyBoy submitted Jade. Well, the idea of her, anyway.**

 **Thanks go to Randal435, TennisCat, The Imprisoned of Hell, Glitter Spires, Cfintimidator, josh, Guest, Guest once again, MarkyBoy, AZGchip, and MelodyBreeze17.  
**

 **Now then,**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

"Hm..." Lignite spat blood to the side, wiping some from his lip. He stood from the place on the ground that he'd been punched to, cracking his neck.

"As I was saying earlier, I have a story to tell you." Lignite said, Matrix and him now at a stand still.

"Why are you so set on telling me this little story?" Matrix arched a brow at Lignite.

"I... Don't know..." Lignite said, sounding rather strange. "I just have the feeling that I must share this story with someone and soon..."

Matrix rolled his eyes. "Fine, go ahead."

* * *

Lignite sat up slowly, looking around himself. The battlefield was now empty.

His body ached, but he didn't care as he forced himself up. Sure, he could have retreated to his gem to heal, but that was for weaklings...

then again, the rebel leader had just beat him into the dirt. He wasn't sure why Rose Quartz hadn't just killed him. He could only guess it was pity.

That thought alone made him seethe with rage.

As Lignite stumbled back towards camp, not sure how far he'd make it, he was relieved to hear a familiar voice speaking.

"The hell happened to you?"

Lignite turned, his face torn up as he looked at the female Gem standing next to him. She didn't look too good either.

Her green skin was tainted with the red of blood. Whether or not it was hers was unknown. Her white hair was matted to her skin from the rain. Her green dress-like skirt reached down over her knees, and her shirt only covered her chest and shoulders, leaving her abdomen exposed.

She was generally tall, and was holding a spear with a blade at the end of it. She was using the glaive to keep herself up.

"What happened to me..? What happened... To you, Jade..?" Lignite asked as she helped him towards the camp. It was clear that he was in a lot of pain.

"You should see the other guys." She smirked.

* * *

Lignite's eyes snapped open as he heard his tent opening.

He didn't bother sitting up, his body being in too much pain. "So you fought her, hm?"

Lignite's eyes widened. "Y-yes, Blue Diamond... But she was too powerful. I'm afraid I was no where near strong enough to-"

"Well obviously. She's Rose Quartz." Blue Diamond rolled her eyes, or eye, I suppose. Her right eye was hidden under long blue hair.

"..." Lignite remained silent.

"But so far, you're the only one of our soldiers to survive a battle with her." Blue Diamond said, crossing her arms. "Now you are going to answer all of my questions about her."

"Yes, of course..." Lignite groaned internally. He just wanted to rest.

* * *

Lignite walked through the burning city slowly, looking around. After Blue Diamond had interrogated him, she'd given him this mission.

He was supposed to empty this human village, but it seemed that the job was already done.

Now that his body was scarred, Lignite wore clothes to cover it. Lignite wore a black, hooded cloak over a pair of black pants and black boots. He also wore a pair of black gloves and over his scarred face he wore a plain, white, featureless mask with a horizontal slit on it so that he could see out of it.

It had been a few weeks since his battle with Rose Quartz, and he had recovered as much as he could.

"Well I guess I might as well go..." As Lignite turned to leave, he heard a whimpering sound. Perhaps one of those 'dog' things the humans kept?

"Hm..." Curiously, Lignite followed the sound.

Soon enough, he came to a fallen hut, seeing something, no someone sitting on top of it.

It appeared to be a little girl, hair dirty and clothes torn. Her head was down in her knees, which were brought up to her chest. Her feet were bare, and covered in mud.

"..." Lignite slowly approached. He supposed he could kill her. Then he supposed he would have killed everyone left in the village.

She looked up at him with brown orbs, and Lignite stopped.

"Who... Who are you..?" Her voice was soft as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I... Uh..." Lignite couldn't seem to answer.

"You don't look like one of the bandits..." The girl said.

"Well... I'm not." Lignite managed to say. He lost his grip on the stave he was about to pull from his sleeve, and it disappeared, the girl never knowing it was there.

"Are... Are you Death..?" The girl asked, and Lignite figured it had to be because of the mask. Or... You know, the whole of his attire.

"No, no I'm not that either." Lignite crouched before the girl, removing his mask and putting his hood down. Bandages wrapped around one side of his face.

"Then who are you..?" She asked.

"You first." Lignite answered simply.

"Terri's my name..." She said, looking down.

"Lignite." Lignite said simply, holding his hand out to the small child.

She shyly took his hand, shaking it lightly.

"So what happened here?" Lignite looked around.

"A band of bandits came through and destroyed everything..." Terri looked down.

"I'm guessing your family's gone, then?" Lignite said casually. He supposed he didn't really understand the Earthling concept of family. The closest thing he had to family was Scapolite.

"Well yes but... They were gone before the bandits. They died shortly after I was born..." Terri looked down once again.

"So... How did you survive?" Lignite wondered aloud.

"I guess I just got lucky..." Terri looked around the burning village. "But I'm not really sure if it's luck anymore..."

"..."

 _"Well would you look at this..." Scapolite knelt before the beaten and bloodied Lignite. "Don't worry child, I'll help you."_

Lignite stood, turning from Terri. "Well I guess my mission's complete, then..."

As he was about to walk away, he felt someone tugging on his pant leg.

He turned, looking at Terri, who once again stared up at him with those eyes of hers. "Wait..." She said.

"What is it?" Lignite said a little too harshly.

"Can... Can I come with you, Mister Lignite..?"

Lignite's eyes widened. "W-what? No, are you insane?"

"But..."

"I can't bring some human back to camp." Lignite pulled his leg free, and Terri fell to her knees.

As Lignite walked, he stopped, wincing as he heard the sound of sobbing.

Terri looked up, seeing Lignite's hand.

"... Fine, kid. I'll take you. Just... Stop crying already." Lignite looked away, putting his mask back on.

Terri's face lit up as she grabbed hold of Lignite's hand. She stood, wiping her tears as she walked along with him.

She kept hold of his hand.

* * *

Lignite walked into the cave, holding a box full of supplies.

"Terri, I'm back!" He called into the cave. It had been about ten months since he'd first rescued the child, and he'd hid her in a cave outside the Kindergarten, where they were set up.

Terri came from the cave, smiling and running up to Lignite, hugging his leg.

"H-hey! Knock it off!" Lignite laughed, shaking his leg lightly as he set down the supplies. Terri immediately dug into the box, pulling out a bag full of strawberries.

"Strawberries!" She said happily, digging into them.

Lignite laughed lightly, sitting on a wooden chair. Over the months, he'd provided Terri with a few things, like a bed of hay and a few wooden chairs along with a wooden table.

Unfortunately, the Earthlings weren't too far in their invention process, so they didn't have much else.

Terri sat in the chair opposite from Lignite, smiling.

"Terri, we've gotten a report that the Crystal Forces will be coming right through here. I'm going to need you to stay deep in the cave and make sure not to get found." Lignite said, becoming serious.

Terri nodded quickly. "Okay! I'll make sure they never find me."

"Good." Lignite leaned back in his chair.

"The Crystal Forces are the one destroying our planet, aren't they?" Terri said, looking up at Lignite.

"Hm? Oh, yes. Or course." Lignite forced a smile. He couldn't bring himself to tell her...

* * *

Terri sat behind a large rock, watching as two figures entered her cave. She'd seen them coming, luckily.

"You can rest up here." One of them said.

"And what about you?" The other asked.

"I don't need rest."

"... You can never play along, can you?"

Terri noticed that one of them only had one eye, his left eye a gem. She gulped, realizing it was a Crystal Gem.

But the one with him... She didn't look like a gem. She looked very human, actually.

"Playing isn't really my thing." The one eyed gem said, turning to the mouth of the cave.

"There are a lot of things that 'weren't your thing' until you met me." The human smirked, and a red crossed the gems face.

"Real funny, Thea." The gem rolled his eyes, looking down at the camp below him.

"I try, Matrix." Thea smirked, leaning against Matrix.

"Well anyway, I've got things to do and plan. You stay up here until I come to get you." Matrix said.

"What? I don't want to stay in some dark, damp ca-"

"Have fun!" Matrix jumped from the cave mouth, flying down towards the camp. He knew she could have convinced him otherwise, and he didn't want that.

Thea groaned, crossing her arms and sitting down. "Thinks he can just leave me up here..." She muttered, pouting.

"Um... Hello..?" Terri knew she shouldn't approach the human, but she had to know...

"Hm? Oh, hello." Thea smiled. "What are you doing in here?"

"It's not important." Terri said. "My question is what are you doing here? With them?"

"Matrix wouldn't go anywhere without me." Thea smirked. What she meant was that she'd badgered him into it.

"But... You're human. And those are Bad Gems..." Terri said, clearly confused.

"Bad Gems? Who told you that?" Thea arched a brow at Terri. "They're the ones protecting our planet."

"But... Lignite said the Crystal Gems were..." Terri looked down.

"Well I don't know who this Lignite guy is, but he doesn't sound too truthful."

"T-then that means... Lignite is the one trying to..." Terri's eyes widened, tears coming to them as she bolted from the ground and out of the cave, running down the path.

"H-hey! Wait!" Thea called, but it was too late.

* * *

Lignite stood in a watch tower, looking at the camp in the distance. It wasn't that big. Perhaps one of the smaller forces lead by one of Rose Quartz' captains. Like that fusion or the traitor.

He looked through binoculars at the approaching dot, and his eyes widened.

"T-Terri?!"

Lignite jumped from the tower, landing before the running Terri, making her skid to a stop. A splat was made in the mud Lignite landed on.

"What are you doing?!" Lignite asked, and Terri panted, trying to speak.

"You... You lied!" She said, gulping in air.

"What?" Lignite was slightly surprised.

"You said... You said Crystal Gems were the ones trying to hurt our planet!" Terri looked up at Lignite, glaring.

"Terri..."

"This whole time you've been trying to exterminate my race!" Terri said, clearly angry.

"I don't want to but... Betraying the Diamond Authority would get me killed!"

"The other people who have seem to be doing pretty well!"

* * *

"Wait wait, stop. I see something." The three cloaked gems stopped, noticing the two beings next to the watch tower.

"They've gotta be Homeworld Gems." One of them said, and another nodded.

"Yeah. Lets take them out before they can alert anyone of our presence." The one in the middle said, a bow appearing in his hands.

* * *

"Did you ever even care, Lignite? Was this all some kind of trap just to kill one little gi-"

Terri stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening as a thunk was heard.

She fell forward, and Lignite caught her, seeing the arrow stuck in the back of her neck.

Lignite's eyes widened. "T-Terri..?"

Her eyes were wide and empty, sinking back into her head. Blood seeped from her mouth.

"Terri, come on... You... You can't just leave like this..." Was Lignite twitching?

"WAKE UP!" He suddenly yelled, pulling the child close to him as the arrow disappeared.

"I... I'll join the rebellion! I'll do anything just..." Lignite's grieving was put on hold as an arrow was fired, and his ears caught the whistling.

And he caught the arrow.

Lignite looked up slowly towards the three scouts. Each of them had the Crystal Symbol.

"They... They did this..." He slowly set the child down, pulling his staves from his sleeves.

* * *

"I think he's pissed..." The one on the left said.

They noticed Lignite shooting off the ground towards them, spinning his staves, and their eyes widened.

"Volly!" The one in the middle ordered, and they all pulled back their bow strings, firing three arrows into the air.

The three arrows broke into thirty each, shooting down towards Lignite.

Lignite spun one stave above him, the arrows shattering on it. He threw the other, watching as it spun violently, slicing through the guy on the right, slicing the gem on his forehead as well.

"Scatter!" The one in the middle said, and the one on the left quickly jumped away.

As the middle one was about to jump away, a blade caught him by the throat, slamming him into the rock wall behind him. The rock wall exploded.

Gagging for breath as blood spilled from his mouth, he looked up to see Lignite's mask. All he could see were his eyes.

Filled with manic glee.

Lignite reached forward, grabbing hold of the man's eye and tearing it from its socket.

As the archer screamed, Lignite grabbed his tongue, tearing that out as well.

He used his bare hands to tear the archer apart.

The left archer took aim on Lignite as Lignite held up his comrades gem, crushing it into dust.

As the left archer, the one who shot Terri, prepared to fire, Lignite drew a grin on his mask with his bloodied hands.

The arrow fired, and Lignite shot forward, running into the arrow and letting it pierce his shoulder.

He jumped up, sending a kick into the archer's head, throwing him through the air and skidding on the mud.

He groaned, sitting up. Well, he tried to, but he was stopped halfway, coming within centimeters of that grinning mask.

The Savage was born.

* * *

"Captain Matrix! Captain Matrix!"

Matrix glanced at the flap of his tent, watching as a gem burst through it.

"What is it?" Matrix could see the worry on his face.

"There's some..." The gem panted. "Crazy Homeworld Gem out there!"

"What do you mean? Just one?" Matrix arched a brow at the messenger. "Can't the soldiers just-"

"They tried! He chopped them down, cut them to pieces!"

"And their Gems?"

"Crushed to dust, sir."

"... Evacuate whatever is left of the camp. Go meet with Garnet's army." Matrix walked past the messenger towards the flap of his tent.

"B-but sir, what are you gonna do?"

Matrix pulled his spear from his eye, turning and smirking.

"I have to get to Thea in fifteen minutes. Which means I have fourteen minutes to kick this guys ass."

* * *

Matrix looked through the burning camp, walking with his spear ready.

"Y'know it's amazing that I didn't hear any of this going on..." Matrix said, before he turned, hearing groaning.

He saw a hooded figure wearing a white mask with a blood grin on it drop a gem. The gem was missing all four of his limbs, and when he returned to his gem, it was stomped. The fire of the camp roared behind him.

"Wow..." Was all Matrix could manage to say. "That is the spitting image of do not try to fight me."

He spun his spear, shrugging. "But I don't run from the fight."

"I run to it!" Matrix shot off the ground at Lignite, pulling his spear back and thrusting it forward.

Lignite caught the spear on his stave, forcing it to the ground. He pulled one foot back, slamming it into his chest and throwing him back through the air.

Matrix winced, back flipping in the air and landing on his feet, sliding on the mud.

Lignite sauntered slowly towards Matrix, who pulled a double edged spear from his eye, shooting off the ground towards Lignite.

Lignite side stepped Matrix, pulling his stave into the air and slamming it down on Matrix's back, throwing him face first into the mud.

Matrix climbed to his feet, blood seeping from the hole made in his back. As he got up, the stave rammed into his chest, throwing him back through the air. Matrix landed on his back, coughing blood.

"Well... This went pretty badly..." Matrix said, watching as Lignite sauntered towards him once again, spinning his staves.

"STOP!"

Thea grabbed Matrix, holding him and shielding him with her body.

"T-thea?! What are you doing..?! Get out of here..!" Matrix winced, coughing blood.

"If he wants to kill you, he'll have to go through me first!" Thea said, closing her eyes as she prepared to be sliced.

Lignite's staves stopped spinning. He dropped them, turning and walking away from the two.

 _Damn humans..._

* * *

Lignite paced in front of a strawberry patch, the dirt freshly dug up and replaced.

"There's... There's gotta be some way to bring her back..." He said, grabbing his head as he paced faster.

"She can't just leave... Not like that..." Then it hit him.

"Scapolite! Of course! She's been researching how to bring people back from Death!" Lignite's hope faded immediately.

"But she'd never let me look at the research... Not for this, anyway..." Lignite sat on the ground before the grave, burying his face in his hands.

"But maybe I could take it..." Lignite rocked back and forth. "No, I'd never be able to get past her..."

Lignite stared at Terri's grave.

"But... I have to..."

* * *

Scapolite's hut was dark in the night as the door creaked open, a shaded figure entering the room in the pale moonlight.

Lignite brought a dagger into the air, his hand shaking.

"Forgive me..."

With one stab, the all powerful Gem that had raised him was gone. Her Gem pierced, her eyes never even opened. She just laid there peacefully, disappearing from existence.

Lignite couldn't bring himself to just leave her there, and so he picked up her gem shards, placing them in a bag on his hip.

Lignite looked up, seeing the desk with papers, logs, and recordings on it. A smile came to his face.

"I-... I've done it..."

* * *

"So what happened? Did you bring her back?" Matrix asked, still standing ready for attack.

"Scapolite's research wasn't finished..." Lignite shook his head. "I've spent thousands of years searching for something to bring her back but... No matter how powerful I got, no matter what I invented, nothing worked..."

"So... That's why you're a psycho. All because of one group of scouts..." Matrix nodded, holding his spear to his side.

"That you dispatched..."

"So that's why you got Thea killed, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Hm."

The two stood in the Burning Room, staring one another down.

"And this is the end of it all, huh? This is what it all comes down to?" Matrix asked, and Lignite nodded.

 **"It appears so."**

* * *

 **Woo! I did that a lot faster than I thought I would have been able to do!  
**

 **But you might have noticed I kind of... Didn't do all of the proof reading. Look, I know the chapter wasn't as great as it could have been, but I was 100% done with it by the time I finished. So much so that I couldn't even read it again.**

 **I'm going to have to throw in a lot of the stuff that I really like to type in the next chapter just to keep myself from taking a break from the story over all.**

 **Anyway, thanks to everyone for being patient. I can't wait to get to work on Finale (Part 2)!**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	21. Chapter 20: Finale (Part 2)

**Thanks go to Randal435, The Imprisoned of Hell, MarkyBoy, Guest, RitzyChique, and Jak Fortune.  
**

 **Sorry for the late update, but I had to go do stuff with my family up north for awhile. Like a few days. So... Yeah. MC Sirri.**

 **I know I say weird stuff, be silent.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

"You're amusing, fat one." Amazonite said, holding Greg in the air by his throat.

"Yeah, well-" Greg struggled for breath. "I try."

Amazonite lifted her club, preparing to smash Greg's skull with it.

One of her lower arms reached down, catching Connie's sword. "Ah ah." Amazonite wagged her finger, her hand shooting forward and palming Connie in the chest, throwing her back through the air.

Lion suddenly sunk his teeth into Amazonite's leg, making her wince and shake the lion, dropping Greg.

Amazonite growled, grabbing Lion and throwing him off and into the van.

* * *

Jasper spun, slamming into Howlite's side and throwing him across the room, where Garnet came down, slamming both fists into his back and putting him in a crater.

When they worked together against the animal gem, he stood no chance.

"Just give up!" Garnet said, cracking her knuckles as Howlite stood from the crater. Once again, that laughter was heard.

"I'm... Only... Playing!" Howlite was growing once again, standing on two legs once again as he stood taller, growing and bulking out, reaching towards the ceiling of the room.

* * *

Lapis was thrown to the ground, blood seeping from her mouth. Her wings had splattered to nothing as she lay helpless in the sand, Eclipse standing over her.

"How pathetic." He placed a foot on her chest, slowly pushing down.

But before he could crush the Ocean Gem, the ground shook. He looked up, seeing the mountain behind the Fusion Statue shaking, cracks running through it as Howlite burst from it, roaring.

He was much bigger than when he had fought Matrix in that form.

"Well isn't that nice." Eclipse grabbed Lapis, pulling her up by the shoulder and forcing her to look at the destruction Howlite was causing.

"Look there, brat." Eclipse grinned. "It's hopeless, don't you see? No matter how hard you all try, you'll never win."

Lapis struggled, but it was no use. Eclipse threw her into the air, pulling back one fist as she fell back down, ramming it into her chest and throwing her back through the air and into the ground, watching her skid and bounce on the sand.

Just then, a roar was heard, and a pink portal opened, Lion jumping through it with Greg and Connie on his back. The Lion was beaten and bloodied, and he collapsed under the weight of the two.

"Thanks, Lion..." Connie said, petting Lions mane.

"Yeah... Thanks a lot..." Greg said, looking up at Eclipse, who was looming over them.

"Oh look! It's the dirty humans who got in my way last time!" Eclipse grinned, picking Connie up by her hair.

"How ya been?" Eclipse's grin turned darker than usual as he looked at the young girl, his hand glowing.

* * *

"What is that?!" Matrix said, struggling to stand as the temple shook.

Lignite jumped to the side, a rock falling from the ceiling and landing where he was a moment ago.

"Sounds like Howlite is getting sick of waiting for us to finish up." Lignite said, smirking lightly.

"Whatever the case, we've gotta get out of here." Matrix said, turning towards the hallway that lead to where the others were being held.

"I bet the ceiling's gone in there." Lignite smirked.

* * *

"Well this has gotten pretty bad." Peridot said, watching as Howlite stepped out of the mountain onto the beach, Garnet and Jasper being chased by him.

"At least they led him away from us." Pearl said.

"Yeah, now maybe we can find a way out of this place." Amethyst said, looking at the bubble around her.

"I wouldn't count on it." Steven pointed towards the hallway, hearing the spinning sound of Lignite's buzz-saws.

Matrix suddenly back flipped out of the hallway, a buzz-saw flying under him as he did so. It stuck into the wall next to Peridot, making her flinch.

Lignite shot from the shadows after Matrix, his stave colliding with Matrix's spear, The two standing in a power struggle for a moment before Matrix ducked down, the stave going under him as he brought up one foot, slamming it into Lignite's chin and throwing him into the air.

Lignite flipped in the air, spinning his remaining stave and throwing it down as Matrix, who dodged to the side, watching as it stuck into the ground.

Lignite landed on the wall, launching off it at Matrix, pulling back one fist and slamming it into his face, throwing the Tigers Eye Gem into the ground, watching as he skid through the floor, coming to a stop at Peridot's bubble.

"Ugh..." Matrix groaned, sitting up.

"Hey, get up!" Peridot yelled from behind him, the others following with other random cheers. Matrix nodded, smirking as he stood up.

"Well now you've got some cheer leaders." Lignite smirked as his staves reappeared, and he and Matrix circled one another once again, Matrix pulling out two double edged spears.

They shot off the ground at one another once more, their weapons colliding with a clang.

* * *

"What is this guy?!" Jasper yelled, running from the monster chasing them.

"The worst." Garnet answered, running next to her.

An ear piercing howl rocked the Earth, and the ground under them exploded as it was hit by the blast, the two being thrown into the air.

They were both caught in one giant hand, and Howlite's eyes were wide in glee as his mouth opened.

"Hunger..."

The two were thrown into his mouth, yelling in horror.

"I can't believe this!" Jasper said, slipping as she tried to dodge around teeth.

"There is no way-" Garnet slid, grabbing onto a tooth to keep herself up. "I'm getting eaten! Jasper, there's only one way out of this!"

* * *

As Eclipse was about to punch a hole in Connie, Connie lifted her sword, slicing through her hair and falling to the ground, the punch soaring over her head.

Connie landed on her hands and knees, panting.

"Clever girl." Eclipse pulled back his foot, bringing it forward and into Connie's face, throwing her through the air and breaking her glasses. Or, the frames, at least.

Connie was caught by a hand of water, being set lightly to the ground.

"You leave them alone..." Lapis said, struggling to stand.

"About time you got up." A ball of black appeared in Eclipse's hand.

Before Eclipse could attack the motionless Lapis, however, the ground shook, and he suddenly jumped to the side, a large wolf-like foot slamming into the ground where he had once stood.

Light shot from Howlite's mouth, and he spat out a ball of light with three gems in it, watching as it took form in the air.

Standing at about ten feet tall was a new gem, wearing orange clothing. Her face almost resembled Garnet's, an orange visor covering her eyes.

In her top two arms were the gems of Ruby and Sapphire, and for a nose was Jasper's gem. Her abdomen was exposed, her pants red.

Her hair reached down her back much like Jaspers, puffing out like some sort of _Super Saiyan 3_.

"And who might that be?" Eclipse grinned, his ball of energy disappearing.

"They call me Hessonite." She grinned, cracking her knuckles.

* * *

Matrix attempted to sweep Lignite's legs out, but he jumped over it, spinning and sending a kick down at Matrix, who blocked with both arms, pushing his arms up and throwing Lignite through the air.

Lignite landed on his feet, spinning his staves and knocking aside the spear that was thrown at him.

Matrix shot off the ground at, him, stabbing at him with one spear as he caught the one that he'd knocked away, spinning and stabbing at him with that one as well after the first stab was dodged.

Lignite struck upward with one stave, and Matrix moved his head just in time, his cheek being sliced open.

Matrix jumped up, kicking both feet at Lignite, who blocked with his arms, making an X. Matrix jumped off of him, backflipping and throwing both spears at him, landing on his hands before jumping to his feet, pulling two more spears from his eye.

Lignite dodged one spear, but the second caught him by surprise, sticking through his left shoulder.

Lignite pulled the spear out as Matrix shot off the ground at him once again, jumping into the air and spinning, sending a kick at Lignite.

The kick landed on Lignite's left shoulder, and Lignite winced in pain, his blood seeping from the hole that the spear left.

"Yeah!" Steven cheered.

Lignite scowled, whipping one spinning stave upward, slicing through the air.

"Gah!" Matrix stumbled back, blood flying through the air as he stumbled back, the stave slicing over his nose, leaving a gash running from the top left of his upper lip to the lower left of his right eye socket, not touching his eye.

Lignite shot forward, slamming one palm into Matrix's chest, throwing him backwards. Matrix hit the wall of the room, sending cracks through it.

"Ugh..." Matrix groaned, his eyes opening just in time to see the stave spinning towards him.

Matrix managed to move slightly, but not enough. His eyes widened in pain as the stave stuck through the right side of his collar bone.

Lignite walked towards him, spinning his other stave as he did so.

Matrix struggled, trying to unstick himself from the wall, the stave like some sort of staple.

"Well, it was a nice try." Lignite rose his spinning stave in the air, but just as he brought it down something gave, and a clang was heard.

Matrix grinned up at Lignite, holding the bloody stave with his left hand and blocking Lignite's attack with it.

"Well, it was a nice try." Matrix repeated Lignite's words, and Lignite glared at him.

"You're really irritating, you know that?" Lignite said, jumping back as Matrix stood, throwing the stave to the ground and pulling another spear from his eye.

"The green one tells me constantly." Matrix said, circling with Lignite yet again.

The two shot off at one another yet again, and yet again their weapons collided.

* * *

"Over here, flopalopagus." Hessonite grinned, jumping away from another roar from the giant wolf.

"Nope, over here." Hessonite jumped over a claw.

Howlite roared, grabbing his head as he stumbled. His time was up. The giant howled, shrinking down and glowing as he took his normal form, leaving the scrawny gem panting on the sand.

"Ya tried, cuddly." Eclipse grinned, ruffling Howlite's hair. He just groaned, glaring up at him and growling halfheartedly.

"Piss... Off..." Howlite managed to say, his eyes closing as he went unconscious.

"Well, now I finally get a challenge." Eclipse grinned, looking up at Hessonite.

"Don't let me down." Eclipse shot off the ground at Hessonite, who quickly summoned brass knuckles, thrusting her right fist forward and slamming it into Eclipse's face, bringing her left up into his chin and throwing him up into the air.

Hessonite jumped up after him, her brass knuckles disappearing as Jasper's helmet appeared, ans she brought it down on Eclipse's face, throwing him back down into the ground.

Eclipse exploded into the sand, creating a crater.

He groaned, pulling himself out of it and wincing, spitting blood to the side.

"Lucky shot..."

* * *

Lapis and Connie ran down the hallway, coming towards the room where Matrix and Lignite fought.

"They've gotta be down here somewhere..." Connie said, looking around.

Lapis stopped, and Connie ran into her.

"What is it-" Connie stopped, looking with wide eyes at the Burning Room.

Somehow, the bubbles had managed to stay unpoped, though the ceiling was gone.

The room was torn apart, spears and staves sticking out of the ground and the walls.

Craters covered the floor, and indents resembling both Matrix and Lignite were in the walls.

"Wow..." They both said in unison.

They stopped, hearing clangs of metal. "Well, that must be them..." Connie gulped. "Do we really wanna walk in on this?"

"Matrix must have Lignite distracted. We can free everyone while they're busy." Lapis said, walking towards the hallway.

Suddenly a spinning noise was heard, and the two quickly dove to the ground, a stave spinning just over them.

"Nice throw, idiot!" Matrix could be heard yelling at the other end of the hallway.

"Well... That was close." Lapis said, before both her and Connie's eyes widened, hearing something clang on the floor.

They turned slowly, fearing what they knew to be true.

The stave had popped a bubble, and on the floor a red gem was glowing.

"Well that can't be good..."

* * *

Matrix and Lignite pulled back their heads, slamming them together.

They both jumped back, foreheads now bleeding. Lignite threw another stave, and Matrix ran towards it, holding his spear out to his side.

Suddenly, metal plating appeared over the spear, and he held it out to the stave, stopping it instantly.

The stave was being held by Matrix's spear as he ran towards Lignite, and he threw it forward at the Savage, watching as it spun at him.

Lignite snarled, stopping the stave with his own, looking up just in time to see Matrix's spear.

Lignite shifted to the side, the spear going through his right shoulder.

"Gah!" Lignite said, wincing as he jumped back from Matrix, grabbing the spear and throwing it into the air. It stuck into one of the few remaining parts of the ceiling.

Lignite panted, blood running from both of his shoulders now, dripping down from his arms and onto the ground.

"Gonna be hard to throw those things now, huh?" Matrix smirked, pulling another spear from his eye.

"Hard, but not impossible." Lignite pulled staves from both sleeves, spinning them. He winced, blood dripping to the floor.

Cracks ran across the ceiling, and the spear loosened in it. Matrix smirked.

Matrix shot off the ground at Lignite, who continued to spin his staves as Matrix held his arms out to the side.

"Fool!" Lignite threw his staves forward, watching as they spun towards Matrix.

 _Oh this is gonna hurt..._

Blood flew through the air, the staves buzzing through Matrix's arms once again.

Lignite laughed as Matrix stumbled, not noticing the spear falling from the ceiling.

Matrix continued to run, grinning as he jumped, catching the spear in his teeth!

Lignite had no time to block as Matrix came down, holding the spear forward.

 _The stabs through the shoulders weren't to keep me from spinning my staves! They were to slow my blocking!_

"GAH!"

* * *

Eclipse fired a barrage of blasts at Hessonite, who was jumping to the side, the blasts exploding behind her.

"DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!" Eclipse roared, trying desperately to hit the fusion.

Hessonite suddenly appeared before him, bringing her knee up into his chest, throwing him into the air!

Eclipse caught himself, stopping just in time to catch a brass-knuckled fist coming towards his face.

"Not so fa-" Eclipse was cut off, one of the other free three arms slamming into his face, throwing him towards the ground.

Eclipse growled, coming to a stop in air again, seeing Hessonite coming down towards him with one foot pulled back.

She threw her leg forward, and Eclipse blocked the kick, holding out one palm and firing a blast into her, throwing her back through the air.

Hessonite landed on her feet, skidding back slightly and smirking, wiping blood from her lip.

"That all ya got?"

"Oh you're fun."

* * *

Blood dripped to the floor as Matrix grinned up at Lignite, still holding the spear going through his chest with his teeth.

"Y-you... Crafty bastard..." Lignite stumbled back, Matrix letting go of the spear as blood seeped from Lignite's mouth.

"Heh... Gotcha bitch..." Matrix laughed, panting as his blood pooled on the floor, stumbling slightly as he struggled to stand.

"I-... I can't... lose..." Lignite fell back, landing against the wall, struggling to keep his physical form. He reached up, grabbing the spear and pulling it out, throwing it across the floor.

"Ya just did." Matrix smirked, hearing a cheer from the captures behind him.

Matrix turned from Lignite, walking towards the middle bubble. The one holding Steven.

He pulled his foot back, slamming it into the bubble. It popped. They were a lot easier to pop from the outside than the inside.

"Heal me, kid." Matrix said simply, but Steven jumped forward, hugging him.

"H-hey! Get off me!" Matrix said, but Steven shook his head.

"I can't believe you went through all this to save us..." Steven said, burying his face in Matrix's chest.

Matrix couldn't help but smile. "I'd do anything to save you, kid..."

A loud 'aww' sounded from everyone remaining in the bubbles, and Matrix glared at them all.

"Shut it!"

* * *

"What is that?!" Connie exclaimed, the large squid flailing it's tentacles.

Lapis grabbed Connie, flying into the air. "Come on! We've gotta get away from that thing!"

The squid didn't seem to care about attacking them. It instead crawled towards the beach, going for the water.

The beach shook, Hessonite and Eclipse colliding again and again.

Hessonite slammed two fists on top of Eclipse's head, throwing him into the ground.

Eclispe shot from the dust instantly, slamming his fist into Hessonite's abdomen after reaching her in the blink of an eye.

Eclipse spun, slamming his leg into the back of Hessonite's neck, throwing her spinning towards the ground.

Hessonite landed on her hands and feet, back flipping as Eclipse slammed into the ground where she was a moment ago.

Before the smoke could clear, a black hand shot from the sand, grabbing Hessonite and shooting into the air with her, Eclipse pulling her up and throwing her down into the ground.

* * *

"There... Everyone's finally out..." Matrix sat against the wall, everyone else standing and stretching.

"Yeah, it's real great but... Where's Lignite..?" Peridot said, looking around before arching a brow at Matrix.

Matrix's eyes widened, looking around. "That son of a bitch... How did he get away?"

It was then that Matrix realized something was dropping on his head. Water? He felt it, and looked at his hand.

Blood.

Matrix looked up, seeing a shadowed being looming over him. It was gigantic, using eight legs to keep itself looming over them.

"I didn't." A sickly grin cracked across its face.

 **"I caught you all instead."  
**

* * *

 **So there will be a part three. And Matrix is officially (Enter Thing Here)-Dad to Steven. Everything will probably come to a close next chapter, considering there's only two enemies left.  
**

 **Oh, and the squid.**

 **Can't forget the squid.**

 **I just realized I keep talking about this like it's the end of the story, when we're really far from it. This'll probably be the last big fight for awhile though, so get ready for that.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	22. Chapter 21: Finale (Part 3)

**Thanks go to cynicaltea, The Imprisoned of Hell, Randal435, TennisCat, and Hollyberry of Skyclan**.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"Ugh..." Howlite groaned, his eyes slowly opening. He looked around, realizing he was laying on his back instead of his face like he'd been when he passed out.

He looked to his right, seeing Amazonite standing there, holding Emerald's gem. That look in her eyes... She was genuinely worried.

Howlite found that amusing.

"O-oh! Uh... You're awake." Amazonite said, turning to Howlite as he sat up.

Howlite looked into the air, seeing Eclipse and Hessonite slamming into one another again and again. He let out a low growl.

"Yeah, I'm awake..." Howlite rubbed his head. At least he'd gotten rid of that pent up blood lust... The animal would be quiet for a few days. "What happened while I was out?"

"Well... Eclipse is fighting that fusion, and as for those humans, they've gone missing along with the Lion and the Ocean Gem."

"What about Lignite?"

As Amazonite was about to answer, the ground shook, and a light came over the top of the mountain.

"What is tha-" Howlite jumped to his feet, but winced, stumbling as Amazonite helped him stand.

"What is that?!" Amazonite asked, watching as it formed some sort of spider.

"That idiot! He's using his corrupt form now?!"

* * *

"Why does Space God hate me?" Matrix asked himself, staring up at the black spider over him.

He considered not even dodging the sharp leg coming down towards him, as he felt almost entirely done with this battle, but as he considered this, he felt himself being tackled to the side.

"Gah!" Matrix hit the ground, rolling slightly as the leg stabbed through the ground where he had been a moment ago.

"Are you crazy or are you just stupid?!" Peridot said, standing and helping Matrix up.

"I like to think it's a little bit of both." Matrix said, looking at his arms. They had reformed, but weren't back to their full strength yet. Steven's healing was weird with limbs.

"How are we supposed to fight that thing?!" Pearl asked frantically, dodging another leg, which crashed into the ground.

Amethyst formed her ball, shooting off the ground and up the leg, smashing into the Corrupt Lignite's face, though he didn't budge.

With a shift of his head, Amethyst was thrown from the monster. She fell out of her ball form, slamming into the ground, groaning.

A leg rose over her, and as it came down Steven jumped over her, his shield appearing as he blocked it, wincing as he was pushed down into the ground.

Green blasts struck the creature's face, and its eyes turned slowly to look at Peridot, who stood on one of the stone platforms the bubbles had been on, her blasts doing nothing.

"Pathetic..." It's voice rumbled as it's leg swung out, smacking Peridot across the room and through the wall of the room, sending her into the shadows of the mountain behind it.

Matrix ran to the hole in the wall, quickly pulling her out of it. She was unconscious.

"I was gonna say we should make Tanzanite but..." Matrix sighed, setting her down in the hole she'd created, trying to keep her hidden from Lignite's view.

Pearl and Amethyst had the giant distracted, so that only left one person to fuse with...

"Ay, kid! I've got an idea!"

* * *

Hessonite slammed her brass knuckles into Eclipse's face, throwing him back through the air. He stopped himself in the air, just in time to stop the next fist, growling as he pulled one foot back, trying to kick the triple fusion, only to have it be caught in two of Hessonite's free hands.

Hessonite's remaining hand pulled back, forming a fist and going forward, being caught as well before it could make contact.

"Well..." Hessonite said, the two remaining in place.

"It seems we've reached a stalemate." Eclipse said, floating there in the sky.

After a moment of silence, the two pulled back their heads, slamming their foreheads together and creating a shock wave.

* * *

Pearl was knocked aside, hitting the wall before falling from it, hitting the ground. Another leg rose over her, speeding down towards her.

A sound wave was heard, and the leg was stopped dead in it's tracks.

"S-steven..?" Pearl's eyes opened slightly as she saw the pink shield, but the being holding it was... Unfamiliar.

"Well, you're half right." A gem eye turned, looking down at Pearl, who's eyes widened.

A smirk crossed the fusion's face, two of it's arms holding the pink shield, which now looked a shade of red, and it's other two arms holding a large spear with a blade of the same color.

It wore what looked like Spartan Armor, which made sense, considering it's weapons. Its skin was rather dark.

"And just who are you?" Lignite's voice rumbled, and the fusion's smirk widened.

"They call me Smoky Quartz. Smoke for short."

* * *

Howlite wished that Amazonite could move faster. He also wished she didn't have to carry him.

"I can't believe that idiot is using his corrupt form! He's going to destroy himself!" Howlite said, gritting his teeth.

"Why would he have had to use it? Matrix is strong, but... Lignite should be much stronger than him..." Amazonite thought aloud.

"Matrix is strange... In the short time span between now and his last fight with Lignite he's gotten stronger. I'm not sure how, but he has." Howlite shook his head.

"So this whole Corrupt thing... How do you do that?" Amazonite arched a brow at Howlite.

"If this were a book or TV show, it would take a whole chapter or episode to tell you that story." Howlite said plainly.

"Like an Episode of Howlite?"

"What? No, that's stupid."

 **Cough... Foreshadowing... Cough cough...**

* * *

Smoke jumped from side to side, avoiding stabs from the legs. "That all you got ugly?" He called up, and the result was unpleasant.

The large spider seemed to be shrinking down, condensing. In a flash, something else stood before them.

It stood at Lignite's height, but had four spider legs coming from its back, and that old, white mask from so long ago covered its face.

"Me and my big mouth..." Smoke said, watching as Lignite shot off the ground at him, spider legs ready to stab at him.

Smoke dodged around legs as he blocked punches with his shield, jumping back and throwing his spear at the spider gem.

Lignite's four spider legs formed a shield in front of him, blocking the spear.

When Lignite looked away from the blocked spear, two fists slammed into his face, making him stumble back.

Smoke pulled back one foot, sending it forward and slamming it into Lignite's head, throwing him to the side and cracking his mask.

Lignite's four legs caught him, repositioning him into a standing position. Lignite crossed his arms as Smoke shot forward at him, his four legs blocking spears and striking out at the fusion.

"Not gonna get me like that, Spidey." Smoke smirked, moving quickly from side to side, dodging and blocking attacks.

Suddenly, one of Lignite's legs stuck into the ground, and a second later it shot from the ground under Smoke, quickly shooting up and through one of his spear holding arms.

"Gah!" Smoke exclaimed, wincing as he grabbed the leg.

"Man, that hurt!" He almost sounded like Steven, keeping hold of Lignite's leg as he bashed his shield into the corrupt gem's face.

"Matrix, how do you deal with that stuff happening to you all the time?!" Smoke said, his bottom eyes looking up at his top pair.

"Just focus, kid!" Matrix's voice said, Smoke's shield basking into Lignite's face again.

"O-oh! Right!" Steven said, before another leg shot from the ground, slicing open his cheek.

"Ow!" Smoke pulled one foot back, slamming it into Lignite's chest and throwing him back, keeping tight hold of his leg.

A snap was heard, and green blood shot through the air.

Smoke threw the leg aside, cracking his knuckles and smirking.

The green blood seemed to be burning through his shoe and the metal plate covering his chest, so he quickly threw off the armor and kicked off the shoe.

"Whoa..." Smoke said, watching the armor melt from the acidic blood. "Note to self, do not let that touch your skin."

A screech was heard, and Smoke looked up just in time to block another stab from another leg.

"Just give up!" Smoke said, trusting his spear forward and sending it through Lignite's shoulder, making the legs slam more violently into his shield. "You've lost, Lignite! Don't make us- er, me do something we don't want to do!"

Lignite pulled back his head, slamming it into Smoke's head, shattering his mask and Smoke's helmet.

Smoke stumbled, grabbing his head as blood ran down his forehead. "Seriously, how do you do this so often?"

"It's not like I try to get my butt kicked constantly, kid. It just happens. Over time you get used to it."

Smoke looked up, seeing Lignite holding his face.

"Well that's what happens when you head butt people, idio-" Smoke stopped mid sentence when Lignite looked up, having six eyes and fangs coming from his mouth.

"Well... That's going to haunt my dreams..." Smoke stepped back slightly. "Lignite, you've gotta snap out of this."

Lignite hissed, stepping closer as Smoke backed up. "Must... Get... Stronger..."

"Alright ya power hungry maniac, I want you to listen for a second." Smoke said, his weapons disappearing.

"Silence..!" It demanded, grabbing its head.

"Just listen to me-"

"Not you!" Lignite snarled, two more eyes appearing on his face, his eyes starting to go dark. His fangs grew longer.

 _It's impossible..._

 _Matrix, what are you talking about?_

 _He's too far gone, Steven..._

Smoke pulled back his spear, thrusting it forward with great force.

A thunk was heard, and Lignite's eyes widened, six of his eyes seeping back into his head as his fangs and four legs receded, His two remaining eyes still black.

"Snap out of it." Smoke said, his top pair of eyes narrowing as his lower pair was wide in horror.

"I... I can't... I still have to..." Lignite fell from the spear, falling to the ground as he stared at the sky.

Smoke glowed, breaking into two separate people.

Steven fell back, clearly trying to contemplate what had just happened.

"What would she think of me now..?" Lignite asked Matrix, staring at the sky. A hole was in his chest from where the spear went through.

"I'd say she'd be pretty sad." Matrix said calmly, standing over Lignite, who reached up, grabbing his shoulder pauldron and pulling it off, revealing the black gem in his shoulder.

"I've failed, haven't I..?" Lignite kept his lifeless eyes on the sky, blood seeping from his mouth. "I killed Scapolite and stole her research... I searched the universe for a way but found nothing... I'll never be able to get her back..."

Matrix sat next to Lignite, looking up at the sky with him. "Death is something that us immortals can't really understand, huh?"

"I suppose so..." Lignite seemed to be thinking. "Hey, Matrix... Do me a favor."

"What is it?"

"That strawberry patch where I buried Terri... Put my shards there..."

"Shards? What are you talking abo-" Matrix looked over, his eyes widening.

Lignite grabbed hold of his own gem, his hand clenching and crushing it instantly!

"Lignite!" Matrix tried to stop him but it was too late. He caught the hand full of broken shards as Lignite's body disappeared, his eyes wide.

"L-... Lignite..." Matrix fell to his knees in shock, holding the gem shards.

Steven sat there on the ground, his eyes wide as well. The room went silent, everyone staring at the shards in Matrix's hands.

"That... Idiot..." Howlite said, having seen everything from his place at the entrance of the room. He was now standing, though he had to lean against the wall of the room.

Pearl suddenly roared, coming down from the ceiling at the two.

Howlite said nothing, simply raising his hand and waving it to the side.

A wall of ice blocked the Crystal Gems from the hallway, and Howlite turned, walking back down the hallway and looking back at Amazonite.

"Come on. We're going."

* * *

Lapis kept her water hands on the squid, trying to keep it from reaching up at her to swat her down from the sky.

"D-damn it..!" She said, wincing as it began to shake itself from the hands.

It screeched, the sound waves disrupting the water, making the hands break.

A tentacle shot up instantly, slashing Lapis across the face and throwing her down to the ground.

"Ugh..." As Lapis attempted to sit up, she realized a sharp tentacle was looming over her.

"Uh oh..." She closed her eyes, waiting for an attack that never came.

Her eyes slowly opened to see a white figure wearing black clothes over her, holding the tentacle with one hand.

Ice seemed to have frozen the squid.

"H-Howlite..?" Lapis said in disbelief as Howlite let go of the tentacle, jumping into the air and coming down at the eye of the monster, slamming one foot through it's face and making it crack and shatter, poofing into just a gem, which Howlite caught.

Howlite walked back to Lapis, handing her the gem. "You should probably put that in one of those bubble things."

Lapis sat dumb struck, holding the red gem. As Howlite began to walk away, she jumped to her feet.

"Wait! Why did you-"

"I had to blow off steam. Don't look into it." Howlite didn't bother to turn and look at her as he continued walking away, Amazonite following.

As Howlite walked, he reached the water. The water froze in front of him, and he made a path of ice, stepping onto it and walking out into the ocean. As he did, he noticed something in the water, and reached down, pulling out an unconscious Tiger.

"How pathetic." Howlite tossed the unconscious gem to Amazonite, who caught her, throwing her over her shoulder.

"But... Where are you gonna go?" Lapis said, standing at the beginning of the path Howlite had created.

"Don't know. I'll probably just get picked up by Yellow Diamond after Onyx Eclipse gets put in the dirt." Howlite said, stopping and looking back at Lapis.

"Well... Uh... Thanks for the help..."

"I wouldn't be thanking me." Howlite turned, walking down the path once again.

"Why?"

He stopped again. "I put you in that mirror."

Lapis's eyes widened. Howlite continued walking as she fell back, falling onto the sand.

As Howlite walked on the path, Eclipse slammed through the ice behind him, breaking his bridge away from the beach.

"H-... He... He did it..." Her hands clenched into fists in the sand.

* * *

Eclipse and Hessonite stood at opposite sides of the beach, both panting and bleeding from multiple cuts and bruises.

Suddenly, both of their eyes widened, and in two flashes of light, five gems sat in the sand, groaning.

Ruby and Sapphire were unconscious, but Jasper managed to keep herself awake, looking up at Sunstone and Moonstone, who were also struggling to get up.

"C-come on... We've got to leave..." Moonstone said, grabbing Sunstone's hand.

"But... What about the others?" Sunstone asked.

"Forget the others..!" Moonstone winced. "We've gotta go!"

Sunstone nodded, and in a flash of light, both of them were gone.

"Little bastards..." Jasper said, laying back in the sand and closing her eyes.

* * *

Matrix picked up the bag that Lignite kept with him, looking into it. There were the shards of Scapolite.

"..." Matrix placed Lignite's shards in the bag as well, sitting on the ground.

Steven stared at Matrix, who didn't seem to notice.

"We really weren't all that different..."

"Look, Matrix, we've gotta go and find-" Peridot stopped seeing the look Matrix had as he stared at those shards.

"Peridot... Could this have happened to me..? I mean, me and Lignite... We both had the same start from the same place... We both lost a human we cared for... We both made the wrong decision..." Matrix Looked up at Peridot, who was clearly surprised.

"Well... Uh..." Peridot looked, seeing that everyone else in the room was staring at them. Glaring, she shooed them away, and they all went across the room, attempting to break the wall of ice blocking them from the hallway.

"You might have had similar starts," Peridot sat next to Matrix, looking at the gem shards he held in a bag. "But you accepted Thea's death. Lignite... He just couldn't accept Terri's death."

"Yeah... I guess you're ri- Wait, how'd you know his story?" Matrix arched a brow at Peridot.

"O-oh well uh..." She patted Matrix on the back, grabbing a tiny green recorder-looking thing and placing it in her pocket. "Lucky guess?"

"..." Matrix remained silent for a moment before he began to laugh, and soon enough Peridot joined him.

* * *

"So... Do you really think Yellow Diamond is going to pick us up?" Amazonite arched a brow at Howlite.

"Don't know. I'm not going to contact her." Howlite said simply, pulling a small Blue Diamond from his pocket.

"Wait, is that a communicator for Blue Diamond?! She's been AWOL for over a year! How did you get that?" Tiger asked in shock.

"I have my ways." Howlite answered simply, turning it on and pressing a button on it.

A screen appeared over the diamond, reading the word 'Calling' in a different language.

After a moment of ringing, a blue figure appeared on the screen.

"Well, isn't this a surprise." The being smirked lightly.

Howlite rolled his eyes. "Look, I was sent on a mission to Earth to dispose of that traitor Matrix. Things didn't go as planned. Long story short, I need you to pick me and a couple other gems up."

"But I thought you wanted nothing to do with me." Her smirk widened.

"And I thought you fortress of solitude had better lighting. Look, it's not important. Are you gonna help me or not?"

"That depends."

"On?"

"Will you rethink my offer?"

"You can blow it out your-" Howlite was cut off by Tiger.

"Yes! Yes, he'll rethink whatever your offer is! Just get us off this damn planet!" Tiger said.

"But-" Howlite's mouth was covered by Amazonite's hand.

A chomp was heard, and Amazonite pulled her hand back. "Ow!" She exclaimed, grabbing her now throbbing hand.

Blue Diamond laughed. "Anything for my favorite body guard. I should be there in a few days. See you soon~" And with that the call was ended.

Howlite growled at the two gems, placing the blue diamond back in his pocket. "I outta kill you both." He said coldly, turning away from the two.

"How bad can this little offer be?" Tiger questioned, walking beside Howlite down the ice path.

"On a scale of one to ten, it's a solid could get me executed by Yellow Diamond." Howlite said simply, placing his hands in his pockets.

"That's uh... That's not a number." Amazonite said, and Howlite slowly turned his head to look at her.

"You know I could just have the ice fall out from under you right now, right?" Howlite asked.

"You know the thought occurred to me." Amazonite said.

"Well I just wanna know how you know Blue Diamond on a personal level." Tiger said, leaning closer to Howlite.

"That's another story for another day."

"You haven't even told us one story!"

Howlite laughed lightly.

 **"Howlite's gotta have his secrets."**

* * *

 **Wow, the entirety of that fight took much more of that chapter than I thought it would. Then again, I had a lot of loose ends to tie up.  
**

 **The next chapter will probably just be a little aftermath chapter like the one after Beach City Brawl was.**

 **I'm still kind of trying to piece together what I'm going to do for the next ark, but it'll be big.**

 **As per usual.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	23. Chapter 22: Aftermath

**Betcha you never thought of Blue Diamond the way I'm making her, huh?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

 _"Why are you sending me after her?"_

 _"She's going to trust you more than any random soldier. Just be careful... My sister has a history of manipulating people of your... Gender."_

 _"... Erm, noted."_

Howlite sat, staring at the sky. To think, just earlier that day Lignite was alive and those Crystal Gems were captured.

And he still had no contact with Blue Diamond.

The Beastly Gem shivered, remembering full well his last encounter with the former Gem Leader.

Pardon his human, but that bitch was crazy.

* * *

"So they all got away?!" Pearl asked, and Lapis nodded.

"Sunstone and Moonstone probably teleported themselves back to Homeworld, but the rest of them just kind of... Walked off. Howlite made a path of ice after killing the squid, and then they just left. Didn't even try to fight me." Lapis explained.

"Why would Howlite bother himself with killing the squid?" Matrix wondered aloud.

"Don't know." Lapis shrugged. "Maybe just so it wouldn't attack him when he tried to leave?"

"Probably. But then why would he give you the gem instead of just crushing it?" Peridot asked.

"Maybe he's just got a soft spot for corrupt Gems." Steven suggested.

"It's possible, considering he basically is one." Matrix sat on the couch, looking at the temple door that Ruby and Sapphire were fixing.

"Well... Enough of that stuff! We're all free, we beat the bad guys again, everybody is back in Beach City, and everyone is safe!" Steven said, but Matrix looked out at the setting sun.

"Not everyone, kid..." Matrix said, looking at the bag he was still holding.

Everyone remained silent, and Peridot awkwardly patted Matrix's back. "Uh... There there?"

Matrix laughed lightly at her awkwardness before looking to the door.

"Well... I guess I should get these shards to where they're supposed to be." Matrix climbed to his feet, walking to the door.

"Anyone else wanna come?" Matrix turned to the others as he opened the door.

When no one said anything, Peridot shrugged. "Beats sitting around here."

* * *

"So we're just supposed to hide until Blue Diamond shows up?" Tiger asked.

"Yes." Howlite answered simply.

"I don't like being a sitting duck..."Amazonite said.

"Look, you guys just have to stay here while I go do something." Howlite said, walking to the mouth of the cave they'd been hiding in.

"Who died and made you leader?"

"Lignite."

"..."

"That's what I thought."

And with that, Howlite was out of the cave, walking down towards a large strawberry patch in the distance.

* * *

"So this is the place?" Peridot asked, looking around the strawberry patch. It was now night time.

"I think so, yeah." Matrix said, looking for a specific patch of strawberries.

"So which one is Terri's?" Peridot asked, and after a moment of looking around, Matrix pointed.

"Hm... That one."

The two came to it, and Matrix knelt down, opening the bag and pulling out a hand full of black shards.

"Well... I kept my promise." Matrix said, placing the shards in the dirt around the grave before standing.

Matrix stared at the grave, rethinking his enemy.

"You alright?" Peridot asked, arching a brow at Matrix.

"Hm? O-oh uh... Of course! Why wouldn't I be? Smh..." Matrix looked to the side, crossing his arms.

"Well as believable as that was, I'm still gonna say that you aren't." Peridot said, crossing her arms.

Matrix sighed. "Look, this is the guy who got Thea killed. I thought I'd be happy to see him dead but... Not like that." Matrix shook his head.

"What do you mean?"

"I thought I'd just crush his gem myself. I didn't think he'd be the one doing it. I also didn't think he had his own story..."

"Well-"

"And you know what the kicker is? It's my fault that Terri's dead as much as it's his fault that Thea's dead." Matrix ran a hand through his hair. "I just... It's kind of a lot to take in."

"..." Peridot remained silent, knowing she wasn't too good at the whole comforting thing.

"We were so much alike... One wrong step, and I would have ended up just like him."

"You mean dead? Because you've done a whole lot of things here on our little Earth Adventure that have almost gotten you killed."

"No, not dead. I mean power hungry and hate filled..."

"Well I don't know about power hungry, but you were certainly hate filled when I first met you."

"You're not helping."

"Well my point is, somewhere along the line, something changed. You aren't him anymore." Peridot said, a light smile coming to her face. "I don't know what is was, but I'm glad it happened. you're a lot less irritating that way."

Matrix couldn't help but smile in return. "You know, I never really noticed it before, but I like that smile of yours."

Peridot blushed lightly, looking away. "S-shut up..."

"Are you blushing?"

"I said shut up!" Peridot said, suddenly swinging at Matrix, who caught both of her arms.

They both began to laugh, but soon enough it died down as they realized that once again their faces were way too close to each other.

Peridot began to lean forward, when a voice was heard.

"Damn that's adorable."

The two turned with wide eyes to see Howlite sitting against a rock with one knee pulled up, his arms crossed.

"No no, please go on." Howlite smirked. "Just pretend I'm not here."

Peridot's eyes widened, and she pulled back her leg, slamming it into Matrix's groan, causing him to fall down to the ground, yelling in pain.

"Ow! Peridot, what the hell?!" Matrix said, his voice a bit more high pitched than usual as he rolled on the ground in pain.

"I told you not to do that!" She yelled, her face red.

"You were the one initiating it!" Matrix said, curling into a ball do to the pain.

"No I wasn't! Shut up!"

Howlite laughed hard, clapping his hands as tears formed in his eyes. "It makes sense now!" He said, laughing.

"What are you doing here?!" Peridot turned to Howlite, clearly still angry and embarrassed.

"I came to pay my respects, but I found something so much better and less depressing!" Howlite laughed, struggling to breath through the laughter.

"If I wasn't writhing in agony right now you'd be so dead!" Matrix said in his now squeaky voice.

"Not so loud, you might make my ears bleed!" Howlite said, his hysterical laughter continuing.

Suddenly he was pulled from the ground by the collar of his shirt, Peridot glaring into his eyes with enough hatred to kill a small dog. Howlite stopped laughing.

"... Message received." Howlite pushed himself from Peridot's grasp, picking himself up from the ground and dusting himself off.

"Thanks for the laugh." Howlite chuckled, walking away.

"So... We aren't gonna try to stop him?" Matrix said, wincing as he attempted to sit up.

"Well we could, but then we'd have to explain how we ran into him and... Well, I don't feel like dealing with that." Peridot said, helping Matrix up.

"You and me both..." Matrix said, wincing as she helped him stand.

He took one last look at Lignite's grave, a light smile coming to his face.

 _I think I know what the change was..._

* * *

Howlite laughed all the way up to the cave, trying and failing at stopping it before he reached the others.

"And what exactly did you do that was so funny?" Tiger asked, sitting against the rock wall of the cave.

"Nothing just... Something your stupid brother was doing." Howlite said, trying to stop his now light laughter.

"You ran into them?!" Amazonite shot up.

"Well, just Matrix and Peridot. But they were a little preoccupied when I got there." Howlite laughed.

Just before the two could ask any questions, a green glow entered the room, and Emerald's gem rose from Amazonite's pocket, making her eyes widen.

Emerald appeared in a flash of light, and as he came back, he was grabbed by the large fusion, getting pulled into some sort of bear hug.

"Gah!" Emerald struggled, his eyes wide as the four arms locked around him. Amazonite seemed to have forgotten the others were there.

"Crushing... Me..!" Emerald said, his eyes wide as he struggled to breath.

Amazonite quickly dropped Emerald. "U-uh... Sorry."

"Ugh... What was that?" Emerald asked, rubbing his head as he sat up.

And once again Howlite was in hysterical laughter.

* * *

"So how did the burial go?" Pearl asked, Peridot groaning as she sat on one of the chairs on the deck.

"I... I don't even know..." Peridot said, placing a hand on her head.

When Peridot looked back to Pearl, she was sitting in a chair in front of her, legs crossed with a face on that said 'tell me everything'.

Peridot was clearly unamused by this.

"... Stop with that face. Now." Peridot said, and Pearl laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head.

"Sorry, I'm kind of a sucker for romantic stuff."

"Who said it was romantic stuff?!"

"Well, you were out alone with Matrix."

"So?!"

"I can put two and two together, Peridot."

Peridot groaned, jumping to her feet and walking from the deck.

* * *

Matrix seemed to be asleep on the couch, even though the house and the beach was alive with activity from the others.

Steven sat on the beach, talking to and catching up with Lapis, Connie sitting next to him.

Jasper and Garnet seemed to be discussing something, Amethyst and Pearl were talking about something on the deck, Greg was grilling hotdogs and burgers down at the beach, and Peridot sat on the beach with Lion, clearly not willing to deal with anyone else.

Soon enough, Matrix was shaken awake.

His eyes opened to see Garnet, and he groaned. "What..?" He said sleepily.

"We've got a problem." Jasper said, standing behind Garnet.

"I've got enough problems..." Matrix said, rolling over to go back to sleep.

"Matrix, Blue Diamond is coming to Earth."

Matrix's eyes shot open. "Blue Diamond?!" He shot up, looking at the two.

"Not so loud!" Garnet ordered in a quite voice.

"Blue Diamond?!" Matrix screamed in a whisper, if that makes any sense. "But she went missing over a year ago! Why would she be coming to Earth?!"

"Howlite has contact with her for some reason. She's coming to pick him and the others up." Jasper explained, retelling what Garnet had told her.

"Why would she bother herself with coming her to get Howlite?" Matrix asked, climbing to his feet.

"Don't know. I can't see into the past, but I know that they know one another some how." Garnet said.

"Well let's tell all the others and-"

"We can't do that." Garnet said, cutting Matrix off.

"Why?"

"Because if we do, it's likely that Steven, Amethyst, and Peridot might be killed."

"... I see. So what do we do?" Matrix asked.

A light smirk came to Garnet's face.

* * *

"Where is she?!" Howlite paced, waiting for the ship to appear in the sky.

It had been a few days, and he could feel the hunger again.

He had hoped she'd show up before that had came back. She new how to play him when that damn animal was awake.

He looked up, seeing a blue hand floating down towards the plain they stood at.

"About time..." Howlite said.

"What's the rush?" Emerald questioned.

"I just don't want to have to deal with those Crystal Gems..."

Meanwhile, in the distant patch of stones, Garnet, Matrix, and Jasper hid, watching the ship come down.

"Why are we here again?" Matrix whispered.

"Because we're the strongest of the Crystal Gems, and we won't be killed while scouting." Garnet explained.

"Seems like a pretty bad idea to me..." Jasper said.

"Well when you're the leader, you can make the decisions."

The hand landed on the ground, the tall grass blowing away from it as it did so.

It opened, and in an orb of blue, she appeared.

Blue Diamond had blue hair that ran down to her lower back, wearing a white dress that would go down to her ankles, but was torn at her right leg, keeping it out in the open for easier movement.

Much like Rose Quartz's skin was, it was not the color of her gem. It was instead the same fleshy color of humans. Her hair covered her left eye.

There was a diamond shaped opening in her dress over her belly button, which was covered with a blue diamond.

All of the Homeworld Gems quickly fell to their knees in a bow. Well, all but Howlite. He just stood there, not at all fazed by her presence.

"All of you get up. She's not one of the Diamond Authority anymore." Howlite said, walking up the ramp the ship had made with its fingers, the others shaking too much to get up.

The diamonds always had that effect on Gems. Her presence was even frightening the three Crystal Gems watching.

Howlite was stopped by Blue Diamond, who was smirking.

"Have you rethought my offer?"

"Unfortunately." Howlite rolled his eyes, trying his best to show as little emotion as possible. If she didn't know the animal was awake...

Blue Diamond stepped aside, letting him enter the ship.

"Come on you three." At first, the Homeworld Gems thought they were the one's being spoken to, but when Blue Diamond aimed an open palm at the rock field, the Crystal Gems' eyes widened.

"SHE KNOWS WE'RE HERE!"

They scattered as the blast of blue was fired, obliterating the rock patch in seconds!

"You can do better than that." Blue Diamond smirked before looking to the three Homeworld Gems. "Are you guys coming or not?"

Emerald came to his feet, nodding. Tiger and Amazonite followed, walking up the ramp.

After those three had entered the ship, Blue Diamond moved to enter it, when a spear stuck through the ground before her.

"Hm." She said, watching Matrix land before her, grabbing the spear and spinning it, pointing it at her.

"You aren't going anywhere." Matrix said, glaring at the former Diamond Authority. The left side of his face was burnt from the blast, blood dripping from his chin.

Blue Diamond laughed, reaching out and hitting the side of his spear with her hand, watching it break into bits upon impact.

"Oh... Sh!t..." Matrix looked up just in time to see the glowing hand in his face.

"You're a funny one, Matrix." Blue Diamond laughed, firing her blast into Matrix's face, throwing him from the ship, sending him smashing into the ground.

"I regret... Every decision..." Matrix said just before a foot slammed into his chest, making his eyes widen.

Matrix winced in pain, coughing blood. "Why are you wearing heels..?!" He asked, feeling her stomp on his chest.

"Just in case I need to put someone in their place." Blue Diamond smiled, picking Matrix up by the collar of his shirt and pulling back one hand, her smile turning dark as her hand shot forward, piercing Matrix's chest!

Matrix coughed blood once again, his eyes widening as he was dropped. Blue Diamond turned, walking back to the ship.

"I can't believe someone as weak as you defeated Lignite."

That was the last thing Matrix heard before he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

"It feels good to be in the drivers seat again." Emerald said, sitting before the controls of the ship.

"It feels good to be on something familiar..." Tiger said, sitting on the chair next to him.

Howlite said nothing, staying near them to hopefully avoid Blue Diamond.

"So uh... Any reason you're standing in here?" Amazonite said, arching a brow at Howlite.

"Yes."

"Are you gonna tell us what it is?"

"No."

"... You're boring." Tiger turned, looking back out into space through the window before them.

Howlite sighed, seeing no reason in avoiding it any longer, turning and walking from the room and into the hallway.

Sure enough, there she was. Waiting.

"So what's your decision?" Blue Diamond questioned, standing behind Howlite.

"... I have grown tired of being a military dog." Howlite said, not turning to look at Blue Diamond. "But I don't think your option is much better."

"Hm..." Blue Diamond stood uncomfortably close to Howlite. "Howlite, do you remember what your purpose was when you were brought to this world?"

"..." Howlite sighed, staring at the ground. "To protect and serve Blue Diamond no matter what the cost..."

"Exactly." Blue Diamond said, her arms now resting on Howlite's shoulders.

"That was the purpose of two different people, Miss Diamond." Howlite said, glaring at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Two people that never really existed..."

"You are the two of them, Howlite." Blue Diamond said, her arms wrapped around Howlite.

Howlite grit his teeth, his hands clenching into fists. His nails seemed to be growing and sharpening, cutting into his palms when he clenched his hands into fists, his blood dripping to the floor.

"No, I'm the thing the two of them were supposed to contain..." Howlite said, his gritting teeth sharpening.

"Then why did you try so hard to fulfill their purpose?"

Howlite snarled, turning suddenly as his metal maw appeared, snapping at Blue Diamond, who moved back just in time.

"Calm down, calm down." Blue Diamond said, reaching out slowly to Howlite, who snarled, backing up.

 _"We have to kill that monster!"_

 _"He's not a monster. He just needs... The proper training."_

 _"Sister, are you insane?"_

 _"What other Gem can control his corrupt form?"_

 _"You call that controlled?!"_

 _"Proper training, sister."_

 _"So what? You want to turn him into some sort of military dog?"_

 _"Something like that. If it will save him..."_

Howlite's growling stopped, and he looked down, his metal maw disappearing.

Blue Diamond stepped forward, pulling Howlite into a hug. The Beastly Gem was silent, his arms hanging to his sides.

As Blue Diamond held him, a grin spread across her face.

 **"I'm glad you're back, my Howlite."**

* * *

 **Well, I doubt you've ever seen a Blue Diamond like that. Whether or not that's a good thing I guess I'll find out.  
**

 **A little bit of a peak into Howlite's past before he... Totally doesn't get an episode of Howlite.**

 **Okay, I just got a serious case of de ja vu.**

 **Like I've gotten this feeling twice while typing this chapter. And it's bothering me.  
**

 **Well anyway, that was completely off topic.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	24. Chapter 23: Episode of Howlite

**Sorry for not putting the thanks last chapter, but after the proof reading, I had to go do some stuff, got back, completely forgot to delete the random crap I always put at and delete from the beginning of the chapter, and forgot to put the thanks before uploading.  
**

 **So sorry.**

 **Thanks go to Hollyberry of Skyclan, SubZPhantomX** , **The Imprisoned of Hell, josh, TennisCat, Jak Fortune, and Randal435.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"Uh..." Tiger stared at the two from the hallway, watching as Blue Diamond let go of Howlite, grinning as she walked down the hallway.

Howlite walked back down the hallway and past Tiger, his hair covering his eyes.

 _She's gotten under my skin once again..._

"Okay, explain." Tiger grabbed Howlite, stopping him. "How the hell do you know Blue Diamond, and what is this relationship you have with her?"

"I wanna know, too." Amazonite said, standing behind Tiger.

"Count me in." Emerald said, turning in his chair to face the three.

"... Fine. But I'll warn you, it's a little dark..." A light grin appeared on Howlite's face.

Everyone sat before Howlite, waiting to hear his story.

"It all started in those damn rocks. On a planet long since forgotten."

* * *

The injectors stood empty, the ground under them glowing.

"What's going on?" Jade said with wide eyes, watching the injectors fall into the cracking ground.

Deep in the ground, there was a glowing, and a loud howling.

The rock wall between two twin gems cracked and broke, and a darkness seeping from their gems over took them.

The darkness grinned, a mouth forming in its shadows.

"The Howlite siblings shouldn't be awake yet!" A small blue gem wearing a lab coat backed up from the seemingly endless pit in the earth.

Her eyes widened as a giant white paw came from the earth, looming over her.

She stood, paralyzed with fear before the paw came down, crushing her and her gem instantly.

"What in the hell?!" Jade backed up, watching as the creature crawled from the darkness, staring at her.

It was a giant wolf, big enough to crawl from the giant pit with only minor difficulty.

In its eyes was only the purest bloodlust.

Jade pulled her glaive from her gem, jumping back from another giant paw and growling at the large beast, which seemed to grin.

"Hunger..."

It's tongue ran over its teeth, foam coming from its mouth.

Fear was struck into Jade, and she gulped, beginning to shake as Howlite crept towards her, opening his mouth.

A spinning was heard, and something buzzed by Howlite's head, slicing off the tip of his tongue.

Howlite turned, seeing Lignite standing on a rock in the distance, spinning his second stave.

"What the hell." It wasn't even a question.

Howlite grinned, shooting off the ground at him, Lignite throwing his other stave at the corrupt gem.

"Blue Diamond! Code red! The Howlite twins have been devoured by the beast and came out early!" Jade said into a communicator.

A tail smacked her aside before she could hear Blue Diamond's response.

All that was heard was that monster's howl.

Howlite felt the stave buzz through his left ear, but didn't seem to care, crashing into the ground where Lignite was a moment ago.

Lignite rolled to the side, pulling two more staves from his sleeves and spinning them, watching as Howlite turned, loosing a howl at him.

Lignite was blown into the sky by the force of the Beast's attack, trying and failing at catching himself.

Howlite forgot about the downed Lignite, crushing the injectors and eating the other Gems that were unfortunate enough to cross his path.

Soon enough, he had left the Kindergarten, stalking towards the next biggest alien city.

* * *

Howlite had been rooming the small planet for days, turning it into a wasteland and destroying its populace.

Now he stood in a destroyed city, his hunger gone.

And just like that, the Titan began to shrink, turning into the most unlikely of forms.

There in the dirt laid a scrawny gem, his face in the dirt as he snored.

"So he's finally tired himself out, huh?"

Blue Diamond stood next to her sister, who looked nearly identical.

"It appears that way." Yellow Diamond aimed one hand at Howlite, a ball of yellow appearing in it.

"Whoa whoa, what are you doing?" Blue Diamond pushed her sisters hand away from the Beastly Gem.

"I'm disposing of a failed Gem." Yellow Diamond arched a brow at her sister. "Did you want to do it?"

"No." Blue Diamond knelt down before Howlite. "He's not failed... If anything he's stronger than he should have been."

"You can't be serious..."

The two began to argue, and it went on for awhile.

Eventually it came to a stop, Blue Diamond the winner.

She knelt before Howlite, opening his mouth. At the roof of his mouth was his Gem, which was perfectly smoothed.

She pressed one finger to the gem, and a small blue drawing of a diamond appeared on it.

"He has his purpose." Blue Diamond said, grinning up at her sister.

 _And if he ever steps out of line, that little mark will put him right back in it._

"Hm..." Yellow Diamond stood, arms crossed as she watched Blue Diamond pick up Howlite.

* * *

"And so I spent the vast majority of my life at Blue Diamond's side... To her, I was never snarky. I never bothered to be rude or disobedient. Not because I feared her but... Because I respected her."

* * *

"She's declared war..." Howlite said, watching as Rose Quartz walked from the meeting.

"Yes, it appears so." Blue Diamond crossed her legs. "It seems our little Pink Diamond is all grown up." She giggled, and Howlite grinned.

"We're going to crush them, aren't we?"

"But of course."

* * *

"But while I serving her as her number one guard, I had no idea she was watching me as much as I was watching over her. She did all of her research. She figured out how to manipulate me..."

"Manipulate you?"

* * *

Howlite shot through the waves of Crystal Gems, blood soaked onto his clothes and white skin, staining his hair and rusting his metal maw.

Howlite shot around Blue Diamond, stopping all of the attacking gems from reaching her.

She just stood there. Grinning.

"So... Hungry..." Howlite grabbed his head, the taste of blood the only thing he could think about. He was eating chunks of some poor Gem's shard, fur sprouting out on his skin.

"L-Lady Diamond... May I feed..?" He turned his head slowly, grinning with wide eyes. Blue Diamond nodded, and the transformation began.

In a matter of moments, Howlite was looming over the other gems in that giant wolf, scooping them up in his mouth and devouring them, Gem and all.

Blue Diamond just grinned, standing in place as no Gem even managed to reach her.

* * *

Howlite walked through a destroyed city, looking around. He had shrunk down to the wolf he was while fighting Jasper and Garnet before growing into his werewolf form.

He heard crying, and turned, walking down the destroyed city to find two small children, a little boy and a little girl.

"O-oh god..! There it is..!" The boy stood in front of the girl, and Howlite grinned.

He was oh so hungry.

Screams were heard, followed by the crunching of bones.

Howlite began to glow, shrinking down and finding himself standing before the two heads of the children.

His eyes widened, and he fell back.

"D-... Did I just..?" Howlite hunched over, vomiting. His vomit was red from the raw meat he'd been ingesting.

Blue Diamond watched as Howlite stood, grabbing his head, tears forming in his eyes.

"What did I do?!" He asked himself, staring at the horrified faces on the heads.

"No... No other gem does this... No one else has to feed like I do!" He yelled at the heads.

"Interesting." Blue Diamond muttered as she watched from a pile of rubble.

"Why?! Why me?! What sick f#ck thought of this?!" Howlite fell to his knees, his hands grabbing his hair.

"Howlite, Howlite. Calm down." Blue Diamond said in a calming tone, walking towards Howlite, who's muscles stiffened as he heard her voice.

"B-... But I..." Howlite tried to calm himself, but he couldn't.

Howlite's eyes widened as he was suddenly grabbed, being pulled into a hug. His tears topped, just as shocked as he was.

Up until then, his relationship with Blue Diamond had been strictly professional.

Howlite slowly returned the hug, little did he know, Blue Diamond was grinning.

 _All according to plan..._

* * *

"The years progressed, the war coming and going. I began to trust and respect Blue Diamond much more than before."

"Trust and respect? That all?" The others seemed to be grinning at him.

"You can speculate whatever other feelings I might have had, I won't confirm whether they're right or wrong." Howlite said as cold as ever, getting back to his story.

* * *

Howlite walked down a long golden hallway, coming to two golden doors.

He pushed the doors open, and there, on a throne, sat Yellow Diamond.

"Why have you summoned me?" Howlite asked bluntly, not bothering with the bowing and the formalities. He seemed to be in quite the bad mood.

"Judging from your mood, I'm guessing you know of my sister's disappearance." Yellow Diamond said calmly, crossing her legs.

"Obviously." Howlite said, crossing his arms. "What of it?"

"Well, she hasn't just gone missing, she's deserted us."

Howlite felt himself going cold. "D-... Deserted us?"

"Yes. Her crystal ball was found broken on the floor of her chambers, and she'd taken a large amount of information on various Gems, including me and you." Yellow Diamond said calmly.

"Me? Why would she take information on me?" Howlite asked, generally surprised.

"Isn't it obvious?" When Howlite was silent, Yellow Diamond sighed, rolling her eyes. "My sister has been researching you for a long time now, Howlite."

Howlite was surprised once again.

"Since the day you burst from that pit and destroyed that Kindergarten, my sister has been watching you. Closely."

"But why?"

"The two Howlite's that your little demon devoured were supposed to be like her Sunstone and Moonstone."

"... And instead she just got a constant Eclipse..."

"Yes, but what caught her attention was that you weren't just constantly that monster in your Gem, you've got a thin layer of the two Howlite's over you, like some sort of skin. A skin that she is determined to peel away."

"..." Howlite's eyes were wide, rage creeping into them. "This... This whole time I thought..."

"You thought wrong." Yellow Diamond shrugged.

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Well other than to stomp on your creepy relationship with my sister," Howlite wasn't sure what she meant by that. "I'm sending you to go get her."

"What?" Yellow Diamond was just throwing surprises at him today. "Why would you send me, of all people, in?"

"Because she will try to manipulate you instead of just obliterating you on the spot." Yellow Diamond tossed what looked like a blue Gem Destabalizer to Howlite, who caught it.

"What's this?" Howlite asked, arching a brow at Yellow Diamond.

"It's a Gem Destabalizer made for Blue Diamond." Yellow Diamond said, crossing her arms.

"Uh... Alright. But where is she?" Howlite asked, and Yellow Diamond smirked.

* * *

Howlite stood, pulling black gloves over his hands. On his left wrist was the Gem Destabalizer.

"Ready to go?" Yellow Diamond said over the communicator.

"Just about." Howlite answered.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Yellow Diamond said. "Don't let her touch your Gem."

"My gem is at the roof of my mouth. She'll have a pretty hard time getting there." Howlite said, the hanger of the ship he was in opening.

"If I know my sister," Yellow Diamond began as Howlite jumped from the hanger.

"No she won't."

* * *

As Howlite fell from the sky, he began to grow, turning into the Giant Wolf he was so long ago.

He landed on four legs, the ground denting under him.

He shrunk down to his normal form, standing on his feet and dusting himself off.

"The landing went well." He spoke into the com in his right ear.

* * *

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa, why the hell did you air drop in?" Emerald interrupted.

"To get her attention."

"Bullsh!t!"

"You guys can believe whatever you want to believe, but I'm telling you the truth."

* * *

Howlite walked through an old Kindergarten, his memories flooding back.

He saw himself crushing and devouring gems. Lignite trying to stop him. Jade getting smacked aside.

Blue Diamond watching him.

Howlite's teeth grit as he walked to a large pit, staring down into the darkness that it held.

"She knew..."

Howlite jumped into the pit, falling towards the ground, seeing a glowing blue light at the bottom.

Howlite landed on his feet, the ground cracking under him.

He heard a laughter so familiar it sent chills up his spin.

"I knew she'd send you." Blue Diamond's voice could be heard in the eerie blue light.

"Oh really? I thought you picking this place to hide in was just a coincidence." Howlite said with heavy sarcasm.

That laugh followed his words, and he felt that chill again. He followed the sound of her voice, and came to two indents in the rock.

They both generally resembled Howlite, but the rock between them was cracked and broken.

Howlite grit his teeth, placing his hands on the two shattered gem-like stones. both of them were centered on where the indent's heads would be, but they were both lifeless and cracked open.

As if something inside of them had broken out...

"A blast from the past, isn't it?"

Howlite turned, growling as he saw Blue Diamond standing behind him.

"Why? Why here?!" Howlite asked, his hands clenching into fists.

"Hm... I don't know." Blue Diamond shrugged. "Maybe it's because I like the general gloom of the place."

Blue Diamond walked in a circle around Howlite. "Maybe it's because it brings back memories."

Blue Diamond stopped, whispering in Howlite's ear. "Or maybe it's because I like to mess with you~"

Howlite growled, turning as his metal maw appeared. Blue Diamond was gone.

"Now now, lets not do anything too hasty." Blue Diamond said. She was standing across the room from Howlite.

"Why did you abandon your home?" Howlite asked, glaring at Blue Diamond.

"Because I saw Homeworld's future. A rebellion will rise again. Rose Quartz will return." Blue Diamond smirked.

"And the Diamond Authority will be no more."

Howlite was shocked into silence.

"But we can change our future." Blue Diamond said, once again behind Howlite.

"Howlite, take her out!" Yellow Diamond yelled over the com in Howlite's ear.

"What's this?" Blue Diamond grabbed the com, crushing it in her hand.

"Now Howlite, I thought I was the only one who got to whisper in your ear." Blue Diamond grinned as she wrapped her arms around Howlite, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Howlite turned, stabbing at her with the Gem Destabalizer, which she easily dodged.

She grabbed the Destabalizer from Howlite's wrist, snapping it in two.

Howlite jumped back away from her, snarling.

"If you come with me, you won't suffer Homeworld's horrible fate."

"Why should you care if I die or not?" Howlite asked as she walked across the room towards him.

Instead of answering with words, Blue Diamond grabbed Howlite by the chin, pressing her lips to his.

Howlite's eyes widened, a red spreading across his cheeks.

Howlite wanted to break free. He wanted to attack her. He could bite her tongue off in the position he was currently in, but for some reason he couldn't move.

It was then that Howlite remembered.

 _"Don't let her touch your gem."_

Howlite's eyes widened as he felt her tongue press against his gem, and he then realized it was hopeless.

The layer of skin was peeled off.

Blue Diamond pulled back, grinning as the blue diamond she'd put on Howlite's gem all those years ago began to glow.

Howlite roared, grabbing his head. The chains on that monster were snapped and broken, and he fell to his knees, holding his head as the black cracks on his face spread into his eye.

Howlite's roar turned into a howl, and his hands grew claws, which dug into his head.

"Make it stop..!" Howlite demanded, the cracks spreading across his body.

"Just give in." Blue Diamond said, leaning down to Howlite, who was curled up on the floor, roaring in agony.

"Soon enough, Howlite's roars and struggles stopped, and he laid motionless.

Until his eyes snapped open, and a grin spread across his face.

"So how does it fe-" Blue Diamond was cut off, being grabbed by the neck as Howlite looked up at her.

"Hungry..." Howlite said, looking up at Blue Diamond with his crack filled eyes.

"Now now," Blue Diamond grabbed hold of Howlite's hand, pulling it from her throat with ease. "You and I both know you can't eat me."

"I have to stop the calling somehow..." Howlite said, grabbing his head as he stood, his teeth sharpening.

Blue Diamond grinned, appearing behind Howlite once again, wrapping her arms around him.

"I have an idea~"

And the blue lights went out.

* * *

"..." The three gems had leaned in uncomfortably close to Howlite as he told his story.

"And?" They all said in unison.

"The next part is..." Howlite tugged on the collar of his shirt. "Ahem, confidential."

All of their jaws dropped to the floor, and Howlite scratched the back of his head.

"You did _not_ hit and quit one of the Diamonds!" Emerald said in shock.

Howlite shrugged in response.

"Okay, I'm calling BS." Tiger said, standing. "There is no way that happened!"

"You can believe whatever you wanna believe." Howlite stood, walking towards the exit of the room.

"Anyway, I've gotta take a shower." Howlite pulled off his shirt as he walked, revealing strange scars on his back. It almost looked like claw marks starting at the center of his back and running down to his sides. As if someone had dug their nails into his back...

I wonder how that happened.

Once again, the homeworld gem's jaws dropped.

"How did that scrawny little..." Tiger trailed off after Howlite had left the room.

"I just... That was... How the hell..?" Emerald was baffled by the entire story.

"Some people have the strangest stories..." Amazonite said, shaking her head.

"..." Emerald thought for a moment before he glanced over at her. "Why are you a fusion all the time?"

Amazonite had to think for a moment before beginning.

 **"Well you see-"**

* * *

 **I'm not doing an episode of Amazonite, don't worry. Anyway, that might be the last time you see those Homeworld Gems for awhile.  
**

 **Anyway, we're getting to the final arks. Please note that these last two arks will be unbelievably long, and from how my thoughts on this story work, I might just add more.**

 **I also might continue with a second story after this one. Because this is my first really successful story, and I don't want to give that up just because the story ended.**

 **I should really stop talking about the story like it's going to finish. With my luck, reviews can just stop instantly.**

 **It happened to my Fictionpress.**

 **Poor 26 Failures...**

 **I guess I should apologize for how almost-lemony this chapter got. But it's rated T. And Howlite warned you.**

 **And as Howlite stated earlier, "That bitch is crazy."**

 **And this chapter confirmed it.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	25. Chapter 24: Peace(?)

**Thanks go to Jak Fortune, Randal435, Guest, Guest, TennisCat, and Howlite.  
**

 **No, I didn't just thank one of my own characters. Someone made their name Howlite. And that was pretty cool.**

 **Sorry for the couple day late chapter, but I started running low on muse. And remember how I said you wouldn't see the Homeworld Gems for awhile?**

 **I lied.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

The weeks went by. The Earth was in peace.

Eventually, The Gems repaired the temple, and on the beach a large, four room apartment was built.

It was almost difficult for them all to adjust to there not being an enemy around every corner. It had been three months since the first Homeworld Gems came to Earth.

Since they were all stranded here.

Since they all went against their home for a new home.

Steven still basked in the glory of there victory over Homeworld, as no one ever told him about Blue Diamond picking up the others or of whatever Yellow Diamond could be plotting.

Matrix sighed, collapsing on his couch after closing the door behind him. The room next to his belonged to Lapis, across from hers was Jasper's, and across from Matrix's room was Peridot's.

He had just helped Garnet hunt down a Gem Monster, and was exhausted.

"Hey Matrix!"

Steven's voice, coupled with the fact that he jumped out from behind the couch, made Matrix jump, falling from the couch and onto the carpet.

"Ugh..." Matrix groaned from the floor, looking at Steven, who hung on the back of the couch. "What is it, kid?"

"Well you know what tomorrow is..." Steven grinned sheepishly.

"It's that 'Birthday' thing of yours, right?" Matrix asked.

"Yup!" Steven said, grinning in excitement.

"Yeah, I'll be at the party, don't worry." Matrix said tiredly. "... How did you get into my house?"

"Well, about that, I had another idea! We're all gonna go to Funland and the beach for the day then we'll come back and have cake! Steven just completely shrugged off Matrix's question.

"That's great..." Matrix said, clearly still exhausted. "I'll be sure to show up."

"Great!" Steven shot from the room, and moments later, Matrix could hear Peridot's yell from her room, and Matrix laughed to himself, falling asleep on the couch in a few moments.

* * *

The next day, they all walked towards Funland, Garnet having defused as promised.

All of the Gems had shown up with the inclusion of Greg and Connie, and Steven took them to the arcade first.

"Alright, I have the perfect games picked out for everyone!" Steven said, coming to a game with a large screen and pads with arrows on them in front of it.

Steven told Ruby and Sapphire to stand on the two pads, explaining the dancing game to them.

"So we just have to step on the arrows?" Ruby asked, and Sapphire nodded.

The others went off, stopping again at what looked like _Whack A Mole._

"Here." Steven handed Jasper one of the mallets and gave Amethyst the other. "Just don't break it, okay?" Steven laughed nervously.

Jasper smacked a mole down, then grinned. "Now this is a game I can get behind!"

The next game they came to seemed to have a guitar attached, which Steven grabbed, handing to Peridot, who held it awkwardly.

"This is _Guitar Hero_!" Steven exclaimed before explaining the concept of the game.

"Seems simple enough..." Peridot said, selecting _Through the Fire and Flames_.

Steven stopped Pearl at a game labeled _Wheel of Fortune_.

"Ah, a puzzle game!" Pearl said, sounding generally excited as she began.

Steven stopped the remaining four at a game labeled _Mario Cart_ , which had five seats that had wheels in front of them.

"And this is our stop!" Steven sat in one of the chairs, followed by Greg, Connie, Lapis, and Matrix.

Steven picked Mario, Greg picked Donkey Kong, Connie picked baby Peach, Lapis picked Rosalina, and Matrix picked Dry Bowser.

* * *

Ruby panted, trying to keep up with Sapphire. It was like she knew when they were coming...

Wait a minute.

"Hey, Sapphire, that's cheating!" Ruby said, clearly angered. "You can't use your Future Vision!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sapphire smirked. "I would never do such a thing!"

Meanwhile, Jasper and Amethyst continued to beat down the moles faster than they could come up. Both of their scores were tied somewhere up in the hundreds, and they both had that mischievous grin on their face.

Peridot stood calmly as she hit all of the notes, a crowd forming behind her with gaping mouths. She was on the hardest difficulty.

She turned back to look at the crowd, still hitting all of the notes in the guitar solo.

"Uh... Is there a problem?" She asked, but they all just shook their heads slowly, so she shrugged, going back to the game.

Pearl had solved over twenty puzzles without a single problem, smiling happily as she spun the wheel once again.

Steven was in first place, Lapis right behind him. Greg and Connie were tied for fourth, Matrix barely staying in front of them for third.

Suddenly, ink splashed on all of their screens. Well, all but Connie, who grinned, speeding ahead to first.

Matrix's glare turned to a grin when he recognized the weapon he'd just gotten.

And in an instant, Connie, Steven, and Lapis were engulfed in the Blue Shell's explosion.

Matrix sped to the front, Greg speeding up with him, driving right next to him.

As they approached the finish line, Matrix got an idea.

"Hey kid, consider this a Birthday present." Matrix turned the wheel suddenly, slamming into Greg's car and sending them both of the edge, Steven speeding by and winning the race.

They all laughed at Matrix's act, watching as tickets spat out of each of their machines.

"We've got so many tickets!" Steven exclaimed, scooping up his tickets.

They all met up at the Prize Corner, getting their tickets counted and looking through prizes.

Matrix grabbed a teddy bear holding a guitar, and grinned as he held it up to Peridot. "Hey look, it's you." Matrix grinned, and Peridot glared at him.

"Real funny." Peridot rolled her eyes.

Matrix held his hand over the bears eyes, a green visor identical to Peridot's appeared over it's eyes. He then grinned, holding it up to Peridot again.

"..." Peridot turned to walk away, but stopped on one foot, begrudgingly turning and snatching the bear out of Matrix's hands. Matrix laughed as she stomped away.

Steven got a large blow up alien, Jasper got a dart board, Amethyst got a disco ball, Greg got the guitar that no one ever had enough tickets to get, Connie got a stuffed bear, Ruby and Sapphire got a game of _Twister_ , Matrix got the _XBox_ that again no one ever had enough tickets to get, Lapis got a blue Lava Lamp, and Pearl got a ten thousand piece puzzle.

* * *

Next stop was the beach.

They had left all their stuff in a plastic bag under a chair that Peridot sat in, not bothering with swimming.

Greg was grilling something, Garnet and Jasper played Volleyball, Amethyst and Pearl joining them. Pearl was on Garnet's team and Amethyst was on Jasper's team.

Steven, Connie, Lapis, Ruby, and Sapphire all swam, Lapis making a large wave to splash Steven and Connie when they started splashing her.

"You aren't going to swim?" Matrix arched a brow at Peridot, who looked up from the book she was reading.

"I haven't trusted the ocean since that monster tried to drown me." Peridot said, and Matrix remembered their fight with the kraken like creature.

"... Fair point." Matrix shrugged, walking towards the water.

* * *

(Two weeks before)

Boots padded on the golden floor, a figure shrouded in black coming to two large golden doors.

The figure opened the doors, the light shinning on him and showing what he wore. His black cloak was tattered, looking ancient. He almost resembled some sort of reaper, the cloak covering his body.

"Ah good, Bloodstone." Yellow Diamond said, staring into the piercing red eyes of the cloaked gem.

Behind him stood a short, pale gem and a taller, grey gem with silver hair.

The shorter gem had white hair and skin, and looked to be quite skittish.

He wore a white cloak, but it was opened in the front, revealing the white tank top he wore with white pants. In fact, the only thing about him that wasn't pure white were the lines of red running across his skin and cloak. It seemed to be paint.

The taller gem next to him had grey skin and silver hair, wearing clothes identical to the white gem, the same red lines running across his clothes and skin.

"Why have you summoned me, Yellow Diamond?" Bloodstone asked, tilting his head to the side, and revealing his chin and mouth, showing pitch black skin with red lines running across it.

"I have found my sister's location." Yellow Diamond began. "She is near Earth. I knew that fool Howlite would lead me right to her..." Yellow Diamond laughed to herself, crossing her legs.

"And you want me and my squad to go kill them?" Bloodstone questioned, and Yellow Diamond nodded.

"Yes. If my... Storming of Earth is to go well, the unexpected variable of my sister needs to be removed."

Bloodstone grinned. "Consider it done, Lady Diamond."

Bloodstone turned, walking towards the door. "Zeolite," The white gem looked up. "Hematite," The grey gem looked up.

"Lets go."

* * *

Steven's eyes widened in glee, seeing the assembly in front of his home.

Everyone had shown up, balloons reading 'Happy Birthday' floating from the tables that had been set up. Sour Cream had his DJing equipment set up on the deck.

"I didn't think everyone would show up!" Steven said in shock.

"Why wouldn't we?" Jenny asked, smiling.

"You're a pretty cool dude, Steven." Buck smirked.

"Lets start this party!" Sour Cream called from the deck, starting his music.

* * *

(Five days ago)

"What is that?!" Tiger asked, the ship shaking.

"Something hit the ship!" Emerald exclaimed, red lights flashing in the room as he attempted to keep the ship steady.

"Not something, someone." Amazonite corrected, watching as the pods that had hit the ship opened, three figures darting from them and towards the control room.

"Well that's a problem..." Emerald said, just before the door to the room burst open.

Emerald jumped to the side, two blades going through the back of the chair where he'd been sitting moments ago.

"Emerald!" Amazonite ran towards the genius gem, being stopped by two sword blades stabbing in front of her, looking to see a being cloaked in grey standing before her, staring blankly at her.

He held two katanas, his cloak flapping behind him as he spun them, staring at Amazonite silently.

"Hematite?" Amazonite said, slightly shocked.

"And Zeolite!" Emerald added, dodging the two blades that came from Zeolite's wrist, almost like that of _Shredder_ from _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_.

"Then that must mean-" Tiger ducked suddenly, a scythe swinging over her head.

She looked up with wide eyes, seeing the reaper-like figure grinning down from its hood at her, glowing red eyes peering into her soul.

"B-Bloodstone!" Tiger exclaimed, Bloodstone's hand shooting down and wrapping around her throat, yanking her into the air.

"Tiger!" Emerald and Amazonite exclaimed in shock, watching as Bloodstone pulled back his scythe and slicing through the Tigers Eye Gem!

Her two pieces fell to the ground, exploding and leaving just her gem.

As Bloodstone rose his foot into the air to crush the gem eye, Amazonite slammed her shoulder into him, throwing him back through the air and into the wall of the room, grinning as he unstuck himself.

Just before Bloodstone and the others could attack, however, a low growl was heard.

Everyone turned, seeing Howlite standing at the entrance of the room.

"Oh, it appears we have some company." Blue Diamond said, stepping from the shadows behind him.

Howlite continued to growl, his hair covering his eyes.

"Go on ahead then, Howlite." Howlite grinned at Blue Diamond's words, shooting off the ground at Zeolite and Hematite.

Howlite flew at Zeolite, who stabbed at him with his Shredder claw.

Howlite opened his mouth, his metal maw appearing as he brought his jaws down on the blades, snapping them in two!

Howlite then jumped over Zeolite, ramming his elbow into his side, spinning and sweeping out his legs before bringing up his knee as he fell, catching him by the chin and throwing him into the air and jumping up, slamming his feet into the smaller Gem's abdomen and throwing him across the room into the wall.

Hematite shot off the ground at Howlite, swinging one sword at him. Howlite caught the sword in his metal maw, snapping it in two!

"You truly are a military dog." Hematite said calmly, keeping a blank expression as he jumped back, Howlite jumping at him.

"And he's on a bit of an instinct high, so watch out." Blue Diamond grinned, watching as Hematite avoided Howlite's jaws, Zeolite jumping at him again only to be caught by the arm and thrown into Hematite.

Bloodstone jumped at Blue Diamond, who looked up just in time to see Amazonite block his scythe with her clubs. Well, only for a moment. Bloodstone's scythe suddenly broke through, slicing through Amazonite!

"Amazonite!" Emerald exclaimed, shooting off the ground at Bloodstone, who jumped at him as well.

As they shot by one another, Emerald's eyes widened. In an instant, his arms fell to the floor, and he too returned to his gem.

Bloodstone grinned, turning to look at Blue Diamond.

"Looks like it's just you and me now."

* * *

The party began to clear out as the night went on.

Soon enough, only the Gems remained at Steven's home. Steven was still awake, and the gems continued to humor him as he tried to keep his eyes open.

Ruby and Sapphire refused, everyone clapping after watching them do so.

"Man, fusing is so cool..." Steven yawned, rubbing his eye.

"Alright, I think it's beddy-bye time." Amethyst picked up Steven, holding him over her head as she walked towards his bed.

"Hey- wait!" Steven flailed in Amethyst's grasp. "I have a Birthday Request!"

"What is it?" Matrix asked, arching a brow at Steven.

"Can you turn into Tanzanite again?"

"WHAT?!" Matrix and Peridot exclaimed in unison.

"Who's Tanzanite?" Jasper arched a brow at Pearl.

"The big scary fusion of Matrix and Peridot." Amethyst answered for Pearl, gulping as she remembered her head being crushed by the giant.

"What?!" Jasper arched a brow at Matrix and Peridot. "You two have fused?"

"Only because emergency called for it!" Matrix said, looking to Steven.

"Pleeeeaaaase?" Steven asked with puppy-dog eyes.

"Why do you want us to fuse?" Peridot crossed her arms.

"Well I've never talked to Tanzanite..." Steven scratched the back of his head. "I wanna see what he's like."

"I kind of want to see it too." Lapis said.

"I just want to see Peridot try to dance." Jasper smirked.

"Why does everyone assume I can't dance?!" Peridot asked angrily, and everyone just kind of shrugged.

Before she could continue to yell, a whistling was heard, and Steven pointed to the sky. "Pod!"

A blue pod slammed into the earth before them, throwing dust into the air. It was bigger than the pods on Peridot's ship, looking as though it could carry multiple people.

Matrix pulled his spear from his eye, standing in front of the door of the pod.

Before anyone could do anything, the door of the pod was kicked open, and there Howlite stood, holding an unconscious Blue Diamond on his back.

"Howlite?!" Everyone exclaimed in shock, but Howlite didn't even seem to notice them.

"Hey, kid..." Howlite stumbled past everyone else, setting Blue Diamond before Steven. A crack ran through her gem.

"You have healing powers, right?" Howlite fell to his knees, coughing blood. He pulled a bag from his hip, dropping it and making the gems in it roll out.

"I don't do this often kid, so listen up..." Howlite placed a hand on Steven's shoulder, looking into his eyes.

 **"... Help us..."  
**

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. I know it seemed kind of rushed and it was short, but I'm running low on muse so... Yeah. Updates might come a little slower.  
**

 **But I have a lot of this arc planed out, and let me tell you, it's gonna get dark.**

 **Darker than usual.**

 **So get ready for that.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	26. Chapter 25: Hatred (Part 1)

**Thanks go to Howlite, Randal435, TennisCat, F#ck No, and kidscience22.  
**

 **I'm just gonna start putting Fun Facts about character and the story randomly in the Authors Notes every now and again because...**

 **Well I wanna.**

 **Fun Fact: Howlite's theme is the song Shadows by Tragedy Machine.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

Steven stared at Howlite with wide eyes as the enemy gem pleaded.

"Please..." Howlite fell to the side, going unconscious.

Without a second thought, Matrix rose his spear into the air, looking to stab Howlite.

"No!" Steven's bubble appeared, shielding Howlite and Blue Diamond.

"Kid you cannot be serious." Matrix said, and Steven shook his head.

"He needs help! They all need help!" Steven said, licking his hand.

"Steven that is Blue Diamond!" Peridot said.

"One of the Diamond Authority!" Jasper said.

"She's the reason for hundreds of deaths for Humans and Gems alike in the Gem Wars!" Lapis said.

Steven stopped, turning to look at them."Everyone deserves a second chance, right?" He smiled.

He pressed his hand to Blue Diamond's gem, everyone's eyes widening as the crack in it sealed.

"Damn it kid!" Matrix slammed his fist into the bubble.

Steven then turned his attention to Howlite, seeing his gem at the roof of his mouth from his mouth hanging open.

He noticed the scratches running across it, and licked his hand, opening Howlite's jaws. They stretched unnaturally far open, so it was rather easy for Steven to reach into his mouth.

As his hand touched Howlite's gem, however, it glowed Blue, and the Diamond drawn on it so long ago seemed to fade away.

* * *

"Huh..?" Howlite's eyes opened slowly to find that dark abyss he'd seen so many times before. But this time he could hear something yelling.

"Damn it damn it damn it!" Chains struck out, wrapping around the wolf as he was dragged back into his cage.

"Howlite, let me out!" It demanded, but Howlite only smirked lightly.

"Well well, would you look at that." Howlite stood, walking towards the cage and grabbing its door, slamming it shut on the monster.

"Sorry Wolfy, looks like I'm calling the shots from now on." Howlite turned, walking from the cage.

"Howlite! Howlite don't you dare walk away from me!" It roared as Howlite left.

"Howlite! I will devour you!"

* * *

Howlite's eyes snapped open, and he found himself on a strange, cushy object.

He sat up slowly, looking around. He found himself in the house of Steven Universe, all of the gems watching him.

"Uh..." Howlite looked around at all of them, watching as they all drew their weapons. "Well don't I feel welcome."

"Cut the crap!" Lapis suddenly snapped, her wings appearing and sharpening, aiming under Howlite's throat.

"Uh... Is this because of the Mirror thing?" Howlite remained calm as he asked, arching a brow at Lapis.

The sharpened wings suddenly formed hands, wrapping around Howlite's throat.

"Gah!" Howlite exclaimed, choking as he grabbed the water hands.

"Take a guess!" She said, pulling back one fist.

"Lapis! Stop!" Garnet grabbed Lapis, pulling her off of Howlite.

"He put me in there! He put me in that damn mirror!" Lapis struggled, everyone looking in shock at Howlite.

"She's right. I did do that." Howlite stood calmly, placing his hands in his pockets.

"Do you have any idea what it's like? Being stuck in such a horrible prison?!" Lapis asked, Garnet barely able to hold her.

"Metaphorically?" Howlite glanced over at the unconscious Blue Diamond. "Yeah, I do."

That seemed to be the breaking point.

Lapis's wing shot out, jabbing at Garnet, who was forced to drop her.

Lapis shot off at Howlite, grabbing him and shooting through the screen window behind him, hitting the beach and skidding across it.

"You know nothing!" Lapis said, slamming her fists into Howlite's face again and again. He just sat there. Letting the attacks come.

"Lapis, stop!" Steven said, running towards her. "Give him another chance! Please!"

Lapis sat motionless. "Give him... Another chance..?" Lapis turned suddenly, her eyes so hate filled that it made Steven stop.

Everyone else had ran out onto the beach, watching the scene unfold.

"Not everyone is allowed a second chance, Steven..." Lapis said, her wing rising and sharpening once again as it loomed over Howlite.

"Go ahead then." Howlite said calmly. "It's not like I don't deserve it."

"Stop that!" Lapis snapped, her wing coming down. "Stop not caring!"

In an instant, Lapis was blown aside, Blue Diamond standing next to Howlite with a smirk.

"You were right, these earthlings are pathetic." Blue Diamond raised a glowing palm to Lapis, who struggled, trying to climb to her feet.

Steven was about to jump in the way with his shield, when Howlite pushed Blue Diamond's hand down.

"Lets just go." Howlite said, an ice path forming on the water.

"But-" Blue Diamond was cut off.

"Now. We need to find a place to hide from Bloodstone."

All of the other gems went cold hearing that name.

And soon enough, Howlite and Blue Diamond were gone, everyone being stopped by the sheer fear that name caused.

"D-damn them..." Lapis struggled to stand, stumbling slightly.

"Lapis!" Steven ran to Lapis, licking his hand. "Let me heal you-"

Steven was suddenly smacked aside by a water wing, eyes wide.

"Leave me alone!" Lapis snapped, wings forming as she took flight.

"Steven!" Pearl helped Steven up, Steven rubbing his cheek. He just sat there, dumbstruck.

"Lapis..." Steven muttered, watching as she flew after Howlite and Blue Diamond.

* * *

"Did they just leave us here?!" Emerald screamed quietly, watching as the two walked off.

"Looks like it..." Amazonite muttered, looking to the door. "We need to get out of here."

"You said it..." Tiger crept towards the door, which suddenly flung open, Matrix standing in the doorway.

"Oh come on, it had to be this one?!" Emerald said, backing up slowly.

"Please! I can take hi-" Tiger was cut off, Matrix's knee ramming into her chest.

"You were saying?" Matrix smirked as she fell to her hands and knees, coughing.

"Now then," Matrix cracked his knuckles.

"I haven't interrogated anyone in awhile, so bare with me here."

* * *

 _"I- I don't wanna do this!"  
_

 _"Come on Howlite, don't tell me you've gone soft. Just the other day you destroyed that entire Kindergarten and all of the people on that planet."_

 _"N-no! That wasn't me..." Howlite shook his head, tears forming in his eyes. "Please, don't make me do this to her!" Howlite grabbed onto Blue Diamond's dress as he pleaded, looking up at her with those innocent eyes._

 _Blue Diamond gritted her teeth, pulling back one hand and smacking Howlite upside the head, throwing him to the ground, making him look up at her in shock._

 _"I grow tired of you newborn Gems always being so... Touchy feely." Blue Diamond cracked her knuckles. "I guess I'll just have to show you what happens when you don't follow orders."_

Howlite winced, hearing the sounds of being smacked and hit inside of his head. He never thought those days would come back to haunt him...

"You know, I keep trying to figure out where I saw that pathetic blue gem before..." Blue Diamond broke the silence, and Howlite looked over at her, trying not to glare.

"She's the one I put in that Mirror as my first real order, Blue Diamond..." Howlite said, and she looked as though she'd remembered something.

"Oh, that's right! Those were the days, huh Howlite? Back then you were just a sniveling little brat." Blue Diamond grinned.

"Yes, that's right..." Howlite said, his hands clenching into fists.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you still feel bad about that, Howlite." Blue Diamond rolled her eyes as they reached a cave.

"I don't feel anything anymore, miss Diamond..."

* * *

Emerald's head slammed into the counter, his nose breaking as he was thrown to the ground.

"Holy sh!t..." Emerald groaned, laying on the ground. "Y-know there's supposed to be a first and second degree before the third, right?"

"That wasn't even the interrogation." Matrix crossed his arms. "You just have a very... Slam-into-a-counter-able face."

"Well you can never hear that enough..." Emerald said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

They were now in Matrix's apartment, Jasper and Garnet standing at the door to make sure that nothing went wrong. They didn't want Steven to see this.

"You could have just asked me the question, you ass!" Emerald said, struggling to his feet and holding his face. "I'm not the best at withholding information."

"Emerald, don't tell him anything!" Tiger said.

"It doesn't matter, Tiger. We don't exactly work for Yellow Diamond anymore." Amazonite rolled her eyes.

* * *

Peridot flew over the ocean, looking around. "No sign of Lapis, Blue Diamond, or Howlite."

"Same here." Amethyst's voice said over a communicator in Peridot's ear. She was walking around one of the coasts that they could have landed on.

"Nothing out here, either." Steven said, sitting on the blow up boat that he had in his back pack what felt like so long ago with Pearl.

Peridot sighed, looking off at the setting sun. They'd been searching all day...

* * *

Lapis landed on the roof of the cave that Blue Diamond and Howlite were staying in.

She stood there, thinking. She needed to get past Blue Diamond to dispose of Howlite...

Something kept bothering her, though.

She'd attacked Howlite, and he hadn't fought back. He'd admitted to putting her in the mirror without any pride or manic glee. He'd claimed that he deserved to be killed...

What was wrong with him? Did he have a death wish?

Well she'd be happy to help him with that...

"Can I help you with something?"

Lapis's eyes widened, and she turned slowly to see Blue Diamond standing behind her. She was grinning.

"Howlite isn't here to save you this time."

Lapis roared, shooting off the ground at Blue Diamond. "Don't get in my way! I'm going to kill him!" Lapis said, her sharpened wings swinging by Blue Diamond as she dodged around them.

"You're a lot more vengeful than I would have thought, Lapis Lazuli." Blue Diamond said, stepping back as Lapis's wings stabbed down in an X in front of her, her wings turning to blades as they swung at her.

"Shut up!" Lapis demanded, swinging at Blue Diamond's head. She ducked under it, jabbing Lapis in the chest with her palm, throwing her from the roof of the cave.

As Lapis was thrown back, her water wings splattered from the force of the hit. Blue Diamond jumped up, slamming both feet into Lapis's chest and throwing her down from the cave into the beach below, sending her smashing into the sand, throwing plums of it into the air.

* * *

Howlite sat against the cave wall with his eyes closed. That was, until he heard the thumping on top of the roof. It sounded like someone was yelling, and two people seemed to be walking on the roof.

Howlite looked around, realizing Blue Diamond was gone. "Oh no..." Howlite stood, looking around.

It was then that Lapis shot by the mouth of the cave, slamming into the ground with great force and throwing dust into the air.

Without a second thought, Howlite ran to the mouth of the cave, jumping from it and down towards the ground.

* * *

"So Bloodstone was sent to get rid of Blue Diamond?" Matrix arched a brow at Emerald, who nodded.

"Yes, and now that she's here..." Emerald trailed off.

"But why would Yellow Diamond care about Blue Diamond now?" Matrix arched a brow at Emerald, who shrugged.

"If I had to guess, it'd be so she didn't have anything unexpected in the invasion."

Matrix's eyes widened, Garnet's and Jasper's widening as well. "I-Invasion?"

"Oh, right. I suppose you all wouldn't know about that, would you?" Emerald said, and Matrix shook his head.

"Well, I suggest you all just give up now." Emerald looked down. "Armies are coming. The planet will fall... Yellow Diamond will have her revenge..."

* * *

"So I'm assuming she got away." Yellow Diamond said over the communicator.

"Yes, she did." Bloodstone said. "What's worse, she's gone to Earth..."

"I suppose it can't be helped now..." Yellow Diamond sighed. "I'll send a few small forces to back you up, Bloodstone." Yellow Diamond grinned.

"Lets test these pathetic traitors."

* * *

Lapis was kicked aside, skidding across the sand and panting.

"You're a fool to think that you could challenge me." Blue Diamond slammed one foot onto Lapis's chest, making her cough blood.

"Let her go!"

Blue Diamond caught a purple whip, turning with a bored expression to Amethyst, who was slightly surprised to see that look on her face.

"Oh great, another one." Blue Diamond pulled Amethyst into the air, taking aim on her with an open palm, firing a blast of blue at the runt gem.

The beam was hit with a green blast, throwing it aside.

"That was such a bad idea..." Peridot gulped as Blue Diamond turned to look at her.

Suddenly, Pearl came down from above Blue Diamond, stabbing at her. Blue Diamond reached up, catching the spear and Pearl with it, making the smaller gem gasp.

Blue Diamond rose one foot, slamming it into Pearl's stomach and throwing her across the beach, sending her skidding into the water.

"Pearl!" Amethyst pulled Pearl form the water, and Pearl coughed up water, gasping for breath.

"Where'd she go?!" Peridot said frantically, looking around with her cannon aimed and ready.

As she turned, she gulped, seeing Blue Diamond standing directly behind her.

She was about to blast, when her cannon was grabbed, and she could feel it being crushed.

She jumped back, pulling her hand from the glove as it was crushed.

As she fell from the cliff face, she aimed her remaining cannon at Blue Diamond, who disappeared just as the blast was fired.

"Son of a bi-" Peridot was cut off, feeling Blue Diamond's leg slam into her side, throwing her across the air and into the mountain, cracks spreading through the rocks as she collided with it.

Cracks were heard from Peridot's side as the kick landed, and she felt her ribs breaking under the force. She landed on the ground, coughing blood.

Amethyst dropped down at Blue Diamond, now in the form of Purple Puma.

Blue Diamond shot forward, grabbing Amethyst by the throat and stopping her drop, shooting into the air.

Blue Diamond reached a high point in the air, turning and pulling Amethyst back, throwing her towards the ground at lightning speed.

Amethyst crashed into the ground, throwing dust into the air. Blue Diamond waved one hand, and the dust was thrown aside.

There, in the dirt, Amethyst laid, her arm bent the wrong way.

Pearl stumbled towards Amethyst, going to try to help her. That was until Blue Diamond appeared before her, grabbing her by the throat.

"You're all so pathetic..." Blue Diamond pulled back one hand, jabbing through Pearl's stomach and making her eyes widen, her pupils shrinking.

Blue Diamond dropped Pearl, feeling something hit her in the back. She turned, seeing Peridot standing again, holding her side as she blasted with her one remaining cannon. Blue Diamond grinned.

In an instant, she stood before Peridot, slamming one foot into her remaining cannon, smashing it against the rock wall and breaking Peridot's arm in one fell swoop.

Peridot's eyes widened in pain, and she fell to the ground, grabbing her arm in silent agony.

Blue Diamond grinned, grabbing Peridot and picking her up by her throat, opening one palm in her face.

"Any last words, traitor?"

Peridot smirked, blood on her teeth. She muttered something.

"What?" Blue Diamond leaned forward slightly, and Peridot muttered again, so she leaned forward further.

Peridot suddenly pulled back her head, slamming her face into Blue Diamond's, breaking her nose!

"Gah!" Blue Diamond dropped Peridot, who landed on her hands and knees, panting.

"I said: you're a clod." Peridot grinned, spitting blood to the side as she attempted to stand.

Blue Diamond glared at Peridot, holding her nose. "I never expected a move like that out of you, Peridot. Maybe Matrix, but not you."

"I guess that one eyed idiot is starting to rub off on me..." Blood dripped from Peridot's forehead.

As Blue Diamond was about to blast Peridot, she ducked, Lapis flying over her head with one sharp wing forward.

Blue Diamond fired the blast into Lapis instead, throwing her across the beach once again.

Blue Diamond walked across the beach towards Lapis, who lay motionless in the sand.

But as she walked towards Lapis, something slammed into her face, throwing her back across the sand.

Howlite back flipped, landing on his feet. He'd slammed both feet into Blue Diamond's face.

Howlite stood calm, hands in his pockets as Blue Diamond glared at him.

"Howlite..." She looked sick with rage.

 **"How dare you?!"  
**

* * *

 **I know, the chapter was shorter than usual, but I wanted to reserve Howlite vs Blue Diamond for next chapter.  
**

 **Anyway, Please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	27. Chapter 26: Hatred (Part 2)

**Thanks go to** **Hollyberry of Skyclan, Randal435,** **Cfintimidator,** **Fade-Like-We-Never-Existed, Guest, Jak Fortune, Howlite, and TennisCat.**

 **Fun Fact: Bloodstone, Zeolite, and Hematite are loosely based off the Ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"How dare you?!"

"I can't let this go on..." Howlite held one hand over his mouth, spreading his fingers and making his metal maw appear.

"So what?! You're taking some kind of stand against me?" Blue Diamond glared. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to reteach you the fear you once knew."

"No." Howlite's hands clenched into fists, and he prepared to strike. "I'm done being afraid, and I'm not going to run away!"

* * *

Lapis's vision faded in and out as she forced herself to look up, seeing Howlite standing between her and Blue Diamond.

"Why..?" She asked, though her voice went unheard. It hurt to talk.

She forced herself to reach forward, wrapping her hand around Howlite's ankle. "Why?" She repeated. "Why are you helping us..? I tried to kill you..."

"It's not like I didn't deserve it." Howlite glanced down at her, Blue Diamond shooting off the ground at him. "But for what it's worth..."

Howlite reached out, bulking slightly as he caught Blue Diamond, skidding back slightly as he stopped her in her tracks, much to the shock of the Diamond Authority.

"I'm sorry."

Howlite brought up one knee, ramming it into Blue Diamond's abdomen and throwing her into the air, shooting up after her and spinning, slamming the back of his leg into her back, sending her into a crater on the ground.

Lapis laid dumbstruck, contemplating Howlite's words. She'd always imagined that when she found the one who put her in that mirror, it'd be some heartless, psychopathic gem.

"You shouldn't be strong enough to-" Blue Diamond was cut off.

"That kid got rid of those chains you put on me, you know." Howlite said calmly, walking towards her as she picked herself up.

"W-what..?!" Blue Diamond said, shocked.

Howlite smirked. "The layer of skin you peeled away holds me together once again."

The song Let _Go_ By _Red_ began playing in the background. **(Because I can, that's why.)**

Howlite shot off the ground at Blue Diamond, his teeth snapping together. "So I don't need your chains to do it for me!"

Blue Diamond had no time to move, Howlite slamming into her and throwing her into the rock wall behind her.

Before Blue Diamond could kick him off, her eyes widened, and she roared in pain, feeling Howlite's teeth sink into her neck!

"Get off of me!" Blue Diamond demanded, slamming her foot into Howlite and throwing him off of her, sending him skidding across the beach.

Howlite wiped blood from his metal maw, licking it from his wrist curiously.

"So that's the blood of a Diamond..." Howlite grinned suddenly, his pupils shrinking.

In an instant, he had shot off the ground, slamming his fist into Blue Diamond's face, throwing her quickly across the beach.

Blue Diamond sat up slowly, wiping blood from her lip. "Damn him..."

Howlite's pupils unshrunk, and he stared at the hand that he'd punched Blue Diamond with. His knuckles bled.

"So much power courses through her veins..." The hand clenched into a fist. "And I'm the only one who can take it from her."

"So you figured it out, huh?" Blue Diamond smirked."That's why I kept you in place. I made a weapon against the Diamonds."

Blue Diamond reached out to Howlite. "You're my weapon, Howlite. Now stop pretending you are anything else, and-"

A crunch was heard, and Blue Diamond stopped speaking, her eyes wide as her pupils shrunk in pain.

Howlite grinned, the crunching continuing as he swallowed her right hand, blood running from his lips as his pupils shrunk once again.

"That's where you're wrong, Miss Diamond." Howlite suddenly shot forward, slamming his palm into the shocked with pain Blue Diamond's chest, throwing her back across the beach with a shock wave.

"You see, weapons are sociopaths." Howlite cracked his knuckles. "It's not about who the weapon belongs to, it's about who's got a hold of it." Howlite grinned, his eyes turning completely white as the cracks running across his skin turned blue, glowing.

"All a weapon cares about is killing." Howlite seemed to be absorbing the power from just eating Blue Diamond's hand, fur starting to sprout out over him.

"A WEAPON BELONGS TO NO ONE!"

Blue Diamond snarled with pain as Howlite shot off the ground at her, and her gem glowed, a diamond shaped shield suddenly appearing over her right arm as she blocked the rushing Howlite, skidding back across the dirt.

"It's been awhile since I've had to use these barbaric tools..." Blue Diamond pulled a sword from her gem, spinning and slicing at Howlite, who jumped over it, spinning and sending a kick at Blue Diamond's head.

Blue Diamond blocked with her shield, a shock wave running across the beach.

Howlite kicked off of the shield, landing on his feet and shooting off the ground at Blue Diamond, who swung her sword at him. He jumped, catching it in his teeth and snarling, struggling to hold it there as she pulled back her shield and rammed it into him with enough force to throw him back through the air.

Howlite spun, landing on his feet and skidding as Blue Diamond shot off at him, swinging at him again and again. Howlite barely managed to dodge the blade, suddenly shooting past and ramming one fist into Blue Diamond's abdomen, making her hunch over in pain.

Howlite took this opportunity to lean forward, sinking his teeth into her shoulder.

Blue Diamond snarled, slamming her knee into Howlite's chest, making his eyes widen in pain.

She suddenly grabbed him by the hair, throwing him into the air. She jumped up after him, swinging her sword down at him. He spun, avoiding it and sending a kick at her, which she blocked with her shield.

Howlite kicked off of the shield, landing on the ground and skidding slightly, holding up his claws as he entered a fighting stance, grinning as blood dripped from his metal maw.

Blue Diamond glared, shooting off the ground at him and pulling back her blade, swinging at Howlite, who caught it in his teeth, snarling as his teeth clenched together, crushing the blade!

Blue energy ran through the air as the sword shattered, and Howlite seemed to absorb it, the blue cracks running further across his body as his eyes widened.

Howlite grabbed his head, beginning to laugh as the sand was pushed away from him, spinning in the air around him.

"Go ahead. Keep eating my energy." Blue Diamond grinned, aiming an open palm at Howlite. "But you'll only become more and more unstable. And that layer of skin will break itself soon enough."

"No..." Howlite fell to his knees, his hands digging into the dirt as his eyes glowed blue, the sand continuing to whirl around him.

"Yes." Blue Diamond grinned, lifting Howlite's chin with her finger so that he would look her in the eye. "And then you'll be all mine once again."

In an instant, Howlite's open palm was in her face, glowing blue. "I'm never going back!"

In an instant, a burst of blue had engulfed Blue Diamond's upper body, throwing her back through the air.

Howlite was suddenly above her as she flew back, pulling back one fist. "My hatred for you will never let me give in to that thing!"

Howlite's fist slammed into Blue Diamond's chest, and after a moment of stillness, a shock wave rocked the beach, and Blue Diamond was in a ten foot deep crater in the sand, sand pouring in after her.

"After everything you did to me! Everything I did because of you!" Howlite yelled into the crater, Blue Diamond shooting from it, slamming her fist into his face, blood seeping from her mouth.

Howlite slammed his fist into her face as well, and in an instant, they were both thrown back across the beach.

They both stood slowly, and Blue Diamond threw her shield aside, her hand reforming. Howlite snarled, his metal maw disappearing.

"I wasn't a military dog, I was your dog!" Howlite snarled, his hands growing claws as the fur on him spread, and he began to bulk.

"And now you've bitten the hand that fed you!" Blue Diamond shot across the crater between them, slamming her fist into Howlite's face.

He didn't budge.

Blue Diamond's eyes widened, and she pulled back her fist, her hand bleeding. "The hell?!"

Howlite roared, pulling back one leg and slamming it into her chest, throwing her back across the beach, skidding across the sand.

Howlite's teeth sharpened, and he hunched slightly, a tail shooting from his tailbone. His shirt tore, revealing his scar covered chest and back as fur began to cover them, his face growing into a snout.

The crack-like pattern on his fur began to form into a chain-like pattern. The chains seemed to be cracked and rusted, looking as though they could break any second.

"I-it... It can't be..." Blue Diamond's eyes were wide as she backed up, the being standing at eight feet tall and staring down at her with bloodlust in its eyes.

"But it is." Howlite grinned, his hand muscles tightening as he opened his palms, preparing to strike. "It's been all too long..."

Blue Diamond's eyes were wide in horror.

Howlite grinned. "Since I've been Unbound."

* * *

"Lapis, what is that?!" Steven asked, healing Lapis as she sat against a rock, watching the fight. "I mean, I've seen Howlite change into things but... Something about that transformation is just..."

"Terrifying." Lapis finished.

"Yeah, that..."

"That is the calm before the storm, Steven..." Lapis explained.

"What do you mean?"

"There is a legend that Earthlings made after seeing the transformation that comes after this one, Steven. I believe they referred to him as Fenrir and Fenrir Unbound..."

Steven's eyes widened in horror. "I think Ronaldo told me something about that awhile ago..."

"Those chains on Howlite's fur right now are the only thing keeping him in line..." Lapis said, her hands clenching into fists in the sand. "But if they break, and he is Unbound..."

"Then what?"

"I believe the story was accurate in saying it will be the beginning of the end of the world..."

* * *

Blue Diamond shot back through the air, firing a barrage of blasts at Howlite, who stood, letting them hit him.

As she stood, watching the smoke, Howlite suddenly shot from it unscathed, catching her by the face and slamming her into the rock wall behind her, breaking through it.

Blue Diamond pulled her sword from her gem, ramming it into Howlite's gut.

Howlite stood calmly, the sword stopping at his skin. He pulled her up, grabbing her by the throat and grinning, opening his mouth inches from her face.

In an instant, Blue energy fired from his mouth, engulfing Blue Diamond's face and throwing her back through the mountain!

As Howlite walked through the hole in the mountain towards Blue Diamond, a chain broke on his fur, becoming real and falling, turning to dust on the ground.

"Howlite, you have to stop..." Blue Diamond said, struggling to stand. Howlite slammed his foot into her chest, putting her back in the dirt.

"Now don't tell me the great Blue Diamond is afraid of death." Howlite grinned, grabbing her by the throat and pulling her back up to eye level.

"No, it's not that..." Blue Diamond struggled to breath. "But this wasn't supposed to happen..."

"Sounds like you're just making up excuses." Howlite rose one claw into the air, preparing to tear out Blue Diamond's gem.

"Howlite, if you do this now, if you kill me and become Unbound, then all will be lost!" Blue Diamond said, grabbing Howlite's arm as she struggled to breath.

"The Rebellion will never happen, Earth will be destroyed, The Diamond Authority will never stop, and Gems will metaphorically self destruct as a race!"

Blue Diamond grabbed onto Howlite's fur. "Please Howlite, don't let the sins of my family destroy our race!"

"Maybe then you'll know my guilt." Howlite pulled back one hand, preparing once again to stab Blue Diamond.

He suddenly reached up, catching a spear in his hand.

"What the hell did I miss?" Matrix wondered aloud, watching as Howlite dropped Blue Diamond.

"Oh there is no way in hell I am fighting that thing." Emerald said from behind him, gulping as he stepped back.

"Initiation." Matrix said simply before shoving Emerald down from the ridge they stood on down to Howlite, Emerald's eyes widening in shock as he fell.

"You are the worst!" Emerald yelled up at Matrix as he fell, landing on his back and groaning as he stood, turning to look at Howlite, who loomed over him.

"Uh..." Emerald stepped back, his back hitting the wall. "Bros..?" He held up his fist for a fist bump.

Howlite picked him up by the throat in response.

"Kill it! Kill it with fire!" Emerald yelled, and Amazonite shot off the ground, slamming into Howlite's side, making him drop Emerald to catch her, skidding across the ground.

Howlite suddenly shifted, his feet digging into the ground as he picked her from the ground, roaring as he threw her across the beach into the mountain side.

Tiger suddenly shot down, slashing past his back and cutting it open, making Howlite turn quickly, catching Tiger by the foot and spinning, slamming her into Emerald and throwing them both into Amazonite as she tried to get out of the rock she was encased in.

In an instant, Howlite was catching a gauntlet, looking up so see Garnet. As he prepared to attack, he felt something slam into his back, and turned to see Jasper behind him, her helmet slammed into his back.

He still didn't budge.

He slammed Garnet into Jasper, watching as they were instantly cratered. He moved his head to the side, Matrix shooting by and stabbing his spear into the rock wall.

As Howlite shot off at him, he spun, shooting into the air from his spear and coming down, stabbing at Howlite with a new spear.

Howlite blocked with his forearm, the spear not ever piercing his skin.

As Howlite's fist shot forward and slammed into Matrix's face, a few more chains fell off, turning to dust on the ground.

Matrix skidded across the ground, bouncing and sliding. Matrix groaned, laying motionless as Howlite seemed to ignore them, walking back towards Blue Diamond.

"Well that didn't go at all as planned..." Matrix groaned.

"Ya think?" Emerald said, trying to get out of the wall.

Howlite loomed over Blue Diamond, who sat motionless, staring up at him.

"Howlite, I beg of you..." Blue Diamond began, but Howlite stopped her.

"I wonder how many people begged for their lives before you made me kill them." Howlite said. "I wonder how many Clusters exist because of what I've done."

"I see..." Blue Diamond stared up at Howlite, taking in a deep breath. "Well then do it..."

Howlite rose his hand into the air once again, a grin coming across his face.

"HOWLITE! STOP!"

Howlite turned, seeing Lapis standing atop the ridge above them, Steven behind her.

"I forgive you, alright?!" Lapis yelled down, and Howlite's eyes widened. "I accept your apology!"

"So stop doing this!" Steven added. "You don't have to kill Blue Diamond to make up for what you've done!"

Howlite stood silent, the cracking of the chains stopping for a moment.

"You aren't the only one I've hurt..." Howlite turned back to Blue Diamond, raising one hand once again.

"Howlite! No!" Steven looked as though he was about to jump down to stop him, but Lapis caught him.

Suddenly, Blue Diamond shot up, her fingers pointing out and pulled together, stabbing into his chest!

In an instant, Blue Diamond's gem shifted, moving up her body and over her arm, suddenly stabbing into the hole she'd punched in Howlite's chest!

It drilled into Howlite's chest, making him roar in pain and stumble back, Blue chains shooting from the gem and wrapping around his fur, making a new pattern.

"See you soon~" Blue Diamond suddenly disappeared from existence, her gem now in Howlite.

Howlite fell to his knees, shrinking down as he roared, the chains turning back to cracks. Soon enough he was back to normal, laying shirtless on the ground, unconscious.

The chains on his chest and back remained on his skin, however. They all seemed to connect to the gem that had been forced into him.

"What just happened..?" Steven asked as Lapis flew him down off of the ridge, looking at the unconscious Howlite.

Lapis shook her head.

 **"I wish I knew, Steven..."**

* * *

 **Sorry the updates have been a little less... Day to day, but I have my own stuff to do and a few personal problems get in the way of my work and eeeeeh.  
**

 **So expect them to be a little late every now and again.  
**

 **I also know that the song thing was a bit... Odd, but it fit Howlite Vs. Blue Diamond so well that I had to put it in there. So... Yeah.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out  
**


	28. Chapter 27: Divide and Conquer (Part 1)

**Thanks go to Guest, Jak Fortune, The Imprisoned of Hell, TennisCat, and Mr. Haziq.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

Zeolite, Hematite, you two go on ahead to Earth." Bloodstone said, standing at the window of the ship, staring out at space from it.

"B-but sir, we can't attack them without our extra forces and especially without yo-" Zeolite was smacked across the face.

"First off, never question me." Bloodstone glared down at Zeolite, who nodded quickly.

"Y-yes, sir..."

"Second off, You are not to fight them all as a whole. Single them out. Divide and Conquer." Bloodstone grinned.

"And if that fails, then don't fight them to the death. Get out of there. You're both important." Bloodstone's grin faded as he looked with mild disappointment at Zeolite.

"Some more than others."

* * *

Howlite's eyes slowly opened, and he saw that everyone was staring at him. Again.

"Alright Howlite, on our side or not." Matrix cut to the chase.

"Well lets see, I'm stranded here with no one to help, the one crazy bitch who could get me out of this is literally stuck inside of me, and Yellow Diamond wants my head on a silver platter." Howlite gave Matrix a condescending look. "Yeah, I think I'll go against you guys." He said sarcastically.

"I knew you'd join us!" Steven grabbed Howlite, embracing him. Howlite cringed in the hug, awkwardly patting Steven's head.

"Yeah yeah that's great. Now get off of me." Howlite rolled his eyes, and Steven let go of him.

"See what happens when you give people another chance, guys?" Steven looked at the others. "Now almost all of the Gems that have came here are on our side!"

"Yeah, now we just need the Crazy Twins to join and for Lignite to come back to life." Howlite rolled his eyes, climbing to his feet.

"And I'm not joining your little team of rebels, kid." Howlite said, turning over his shoulder to glare at Steven.

"If Yellow Diamond shows up with her gang of clowns, I'll kill them with you, sure." Howlite shrugged. "The enemy of my enemy, blah blah blah."

"But make no mistake." Howlite turned, leaning in close to the half Gem.

"I'm not your friend." Howlite said, his glare darkening. "I'm not your guardian, I'm not Wolf Dad, and if there's a lethal blast coming at us, and I can either push you aside and take the hit or use you as a meat shield, I'm picking the latter."

Howlite turned, walking away. He looked down at the Blue Diamond jammed into his chest, growling lightly.

"Wow..." Peridot said, watching him walk away.

"Sorry kiddo." Emerald shrugged. "Howlite's kind of an ass."

"I can hear you!" They could hear Howlite yell at them in the distance.

"Don't worry guys, he'll come around." Steven smirked, though they could hear Howlite yell 'No I won't' in the distance.

"So uh..." Steven turned, looking at Lapis. "You alright?"

"I still have a few questions..." Lapis looked at her hands for a moment.

"I'll uh... Meet you guys back at the Temple." Lapis's wings suddenly appeared, and she took off.

"Are we just gonna let her go?" Peridot arched a brow at Matrix, who shrugged.

"If she wants to talk to the albino, let her." Matrix turned, walking back towards the Temple. "I'm tired."

* * *

Howlite growled lightly, pulling on the Diamond stuck in his chest. "Crafty bitch had all of this planned..."

"She even had a fail safe for if I lost control..." Howlite snarled, slamming his fist into a boulder.

In the next instant, the boulder had turned to pebbles.

"If I ever get the chance, she's dead..." Howlite grabbed a pebble, turning and throwing it towards the water, watching it skid across the water. Not skip, skid.

"Every time I ever get the chance, she always gets under my skin... But its usually metaphorical..." Howlite grabbed the gem forced into his chest once again, snarling as he pulled on it with both hands, trying desperately to get it out.

"Damn it damn it damn it!" Howlite snarled, roaring as he pulled on the gem, but to no avail.

"Why?! Why does she always get to win?!" Howlite slammed his fist into another boulder, once again destroying it as he snarled, pulling his fist back to smash the Gem.

"You and I both know you really shouldn't do that."

At first, Howlite thought that Blue Diamond was talking to him in his head, but when he turned around, he saw the one he'd put in that mirror standing there.

Howlite growled lightly, running a hand through his hair as he sighed, trying to regain his composure. "How much of that did you see..?"

"Enough to have even more questions for you." Lapis said, looking rather concerned at Howlite, who seemed to be seething with rage.

"And why should I answer any of your questions?" Howlite half glared at her out of the corner of his eye.

"To vent?" Lapis shrugged, and Howlite snarled, kicking a boulder across the beach.

"I don't need to!-" Howlite stopped himself, taking a deep breath. "Alright, fine, ask away."

"Alright, well I have a lot of questions about what goes on between you and Blue Diamond." Lapis said, and Howlite sighed.

"Well I guess I've got a long story to tell you."

{Enter Episode of Howlite here}

"Wow..." Lapis's eyes were wide as she looked to the ground.

"No matter how much I struggle, she always gets me again..." Howlite's hand clenched into a fist. "She's always three steps ahead..."

"I never thought that the one who put me in that mirror would be someone like you..." Lapis said, and Howlite arched a brow at her.

"What do you mean?"

"I always thought it would be someone like Eclipse or one of the Diamonds. A sadist or a psychopath..."

"I'm both of those things."

"No, you're not." This made Howlite look up from the ground at her.

"I eat people, Lapis. I eat them to keep a monster from over taking me..." Howlite's hands clenched into fists.

"But you feel remorse. Or at least you have. And you don't have to eat people anymore, Steven put it back in it's cage, didn't he?"

"But as you saw today, it can still get out..."

"But now it does so on your terms, not on its terms."

Howlite was silent for a moment, before a light laugh was heard, and he stood, turning around and starting to walk away.

"I enjoy your optimism, but I'll be going now." Howlite turned around to look at her as he walked away.

"See you around, I guess."

* * *

It had been two weeks since all of the other Homeworld Gems joined the Crystal Gems, having ran out of options.

They all knew what was coming. If they didn't fight when Yellow Diamond came here, they'd all be executed without a fight.

As time went by, Earth, Beach City, and its Inhabitants began to grow on the Homeworld Gems.

Though they'd never admit it, Matrix and Tiger were glad to be on the same side once again.

Steven grew on Amazonite the quickest. As it turned out, she has a soft spot for children.

Emerald enjoyed Greg's style of living like a bum, and decided to help at the car wash in exchange for a bit above minimum wage.

Enough for him to live in a one bedroom, tiny apartment which he admired for being 'simple'. I suppose when you live a life full of incredibly complex, high tech things, simple things like the things on earth are quite pleasant.

Howlite didn't find a home, nor did he stick around with Steven or the others.

Howlite could be found occasionally roaming around the city. Every now and again he'd drop by Emerald's apartment or show up at the Big Donut.

Tiger hit the ground once again, panting as she climbed to her feet.

"Well, you're getting better." Matrix said, shrugging.

"Better isn't good enough!"

Amazonite watched, helping Garnet and Jasper build the two new rooms on the beach apartment.

"Anybody seen Howlite lately?" Amazonite asked the others, lifting a large support beam and placing it.

"We outta keep a closer eye on that psycho." Jasper said, nailing something in place.

"If Steven thinks it's okay to have him roam freely, then I do too." Garnet said, stepping back as they finished one wall.

* * *

"Hey, remember when you stabbed me with that Gem Destabalizer?" Emerald brought up as if it was something normal to bring up, helping Greg wash a car.

"Uh..." Greg said awkwardly.

"That was cool." Emerald said blankly, throwing a towel over the car and groaning, stretching as he walked towards the door.

"Well, it's been a good day." and with that, Emerald was out in the night.

As he walked down the empty streets, something didn't feel right.

He felt as though he was being watched.

"Howlite?" He called into the night. "This thing where you watch people is gettin' real creepy."

He saw a white blur flash by, and rolled his eyes. "Howlite I know that it's yo-"

Emerald suddenly felt a piercing pain in his right shoulder, and a blade that was all too familiar shot through his right shoulder.

Emerald's energy blade appeared, and he swung, slicing through the blades as he jumped back, grabbing his shoulder in pain.

In his shoulder were Zeolite's blades, but Zeolite was no where to be seen.

Emerald yanked the blades from his shoulder, growling as he looked around.

"Okay, not Howlite."

* * *

"Alright Steven, I've gotta go." Connie said, laying in her bed and staring at the ceiling as she spoke with Steven on the phone.

"But Connie!"

"Steven, it's ten o'clock at night." Connie laughed lightly.

"Fiiinnnneeee..." Steven laughed after his fake pout, and the call was ended.

Connie smiled, putting her phone in her pocket and standing, walking to the window.

She saw something shift in the window's reflection, and she ducked, two katana's going through the window behind her.

"I heard you fight with a sword." Hematite said blandly, and Connie grabbed her sword, rolling to the side and swinging at Hematite, who blocked with ease.

* * *

"Gotta find somebody gotta find somebody gotta find somebody!" Emerald ran quickly down the street, hoping for once that Howlite would be watching him.

"There's nobody to help you!" Zeolite shot from a roof top, and Emerald turned quickly, blocking his blades with a wince before Zeolite jumped back, and they stood across from one another in the middle of the road.

"Just my luck..." Emerald groaned, blood from his shoulder running down his arm as he stood ready for Zeolite's attack.

"I'll prove myself to Bloodstone this time!" Zeolite shot off at Emerald, who blocked his blade once again, skidding back slightly as Zeolite continued to slice at him.

Emerald barely managed to block every strike, ducking and dodging before suddenly kicking out at Zeolite, who jumped over it, stabbing down.

The blade went right through Emerald's left shoulder, making him roar with pain as Zeolite jumped up, slamming both feet into his face and making him hit the ground, bounce, and skid.

Emerald groaned as Zeolite lifted his shredder blade over him, preparing to stab down.

As he was about to, however, a boot slammed into his chest, green energy shooting from it like a rocket and throwing him through the air.

Emerald shot into the air, his feet shooting green energy like rocket boots as he floated, smirking down at Zeolite.

"I'm not as much of a push over as you think!" Emerald shot down, slicing at Zeolite, though it was blocked hastily.

Zeolite snarled, Emerald shooting by again.

He ducked under a slice, jabbing upward. His blade sliced through Emerald's side, making his eyes widen in pain.

Emerald fell to the ground, grabbing his side as blood seeped from his clothes. He was writhing in pain, and Zeolite grinned, bringing his blade into the air.

"And that's that."

Stab.

* * *

Connie shot back through the door, wincing as Hematite jumped out after her.

She rolled to the side, Hematite's blade sticking into the wall.

She blocked his second blade, wincing as she held it in place.

"What is going on out here?!" Hematite turned, looking blankly at Connie's mother.

He pulled up his swords, slicing through the floor under Connie and him, making them fall down to the first floor of the house!

Connie kicked away from Hematite, rolling and jumping to her feet, blocking both of his blades coming down from above.

Hematite rose one foot, slamming it into her abdomen, throwing her back through the front door of the house.

Connie lay groaning on the ground, and Hematite, sighed, waiting.

"Get up, child." Hematite spun his blades, watching as Connie struggled to her feet. "I won't fight someone who can't fight back."

"Who... Are you..?" Connie struggled to her feet, holding up her blade.

"Just a swordsmen striving to be the best."

Hematite shot forward, stabbing his blade through Connie left shoulder, making her eyes widen in pain as she was kicked to the ground.

As Connie roared in pain, Hematite sighed. "That's that then." Hematite sheathed his blades on his back, raising one foot into the air.

"I was told to poof every gem I fought, but you aren't exactly a gem so... This will due for putting you down." Hematite's foot came down on Connie's right arm.

The snap was followed by a tear filled scream of pain.

* * *

"Hey, Steven, have you seen Emerald?" Greg asked his son as he walked by. "He was supposed to show up for work an hour ago."

"No, I can't say I have." Steven said.

Before the conversation could continue, Steven's phone rang, and he answered almost immediately, seeing Connie parents as the contact.

"What's up, Mrs. Maheswaran?" After a moment of speaking from the other side of the phone, Steven's eyes widened.

"Dad! Connie's in the hospital!"

* * *

In a flash of light, Emerald found himself sitting in a strangely dark room.

He looked around, seeing he was in some sort of child's room.

He looked in front of him, seeing a short child sitting there, staring at him.

"Aren't you the little sh!t who shot a harpoon at me?"

* * *

"Connie, why was that thing after you?! Does this have to do with that Steven boy?" Connie's father asked before the door opened slowly.

"Uh..." Howlite looked around the room as he entered it, seeing Connie laying in a bed with her arm in a cast. There was an X-ray on the wall that showed her arm bone, which was completely snapped in two.

"Howlite..?" Connie arched a brow at Howlite, everyone else taking a step back from him, not recognizing him. "I didn't think you'd be showing up..." Connie smiled weakly.

"Not here for a visit, kid." Howlite pulled up a chair, sitting with the back of the chair in front of him so he could lean on it.

"I want to know who attacked you."

* * *

"That's two down." Zeolite smirked lightly.

"Only eleven more to go." Hematite said blandly, looking out over Beach City.

"I can't wait to pick off the next two..." Zeolite grinned, watching as Greg's van drove off towards the hospital, packed full of Gems.

"Don't try to do the psycho thing, Zeolite." Hematite said, and Zeolite's grin faded.

"W-what do you mean?" Zeolite arched a brow at Hematite.

"You're going to try to impress Bloodstone by being a psychopathic, bloodthirsty maniac. But it won't work." Hematite looked at the target going towards the hospital.

"I... I just want him to think of me as more than just a liability!" Zeolite looked down.

"That's pointless."

* * *

"I can't believe this happened..." Pearl said, looking sadly at Connie as she sat weakly, her left shoulder wrapped up.

"I never thought they would target you..." Matrix's hands clenched into fists.

"Howlite said it might have been someone named Hematite..." Connie's hand's clenched into fists, but she winced, and they unclenched.

"Hematite?" Amethyst said, clearly surprised.

"One of Bloodstone's henchmen..." Matrix looked down, shaking his head before walking towards the door.

"Bloodstone is testing us." He said, slamming his fist through the wall. "He's got his goons taking us out one by one."

"Well we don't know that." Pearl objected.

"Then tell me, where's Emerald?" Matrix arched a brow at Pearl.

"Well he didn't show up for work..." Greg's eye's widened. "You don't think-"

"I don't think, I know." Matrix opened the door of the room.

"Two of us will stay here with Connie, and the rest of us will spread out and find them." Matrix said, looking back at the others.

"But wouldn't they want us to split up?" Peridot asked.

"Exactly. They'll come right to us, and when they do, get to everyone else as fast as you can."

* * *

Pearl and Amethyst walked around the outskirts of Beach City, looking around as they walked, keeping their eyes peeled.

It was beginning to get dark, as they'd all be searching all day. Steven and Garnet had decided to stay with Connie just encase one of them came back, and Howlite was nowhere to be found.

If they had to guess, they'd say Howlite would find Hematite and Zeolite before they found him.

They still hadn't found Emerald, but they guessed that Zeolite and Hematite either had him, or he was...

They didn't hope for the latter.

As Pearl walked, beginning to zone out in thought, something shifted somewhere, The ledge of the ridge above Beach City that they walked on broke, and she began to fall!

"Pearl!" Amethyst exclaimed, reaching out to Pearl as she fell, but she was much to late.

As Pearl fell, the ground that had fallen out from under her broke away against the ridge wall, and she soon hit the wall on her own, tumbling to the ground.

Pearl groaned, sitting up slowly. As she did, a sword was aimed at her face, only about an inch away from her nose.

"Draw your sword, Defective Samurai."

"Pearl, don't worry! "I'm coming!" As Amethyst jumped down, a white blur shot by, slamming its foot into her gut and throwing her back up to the ridge.

Zeolite landed on the ridge, his cloak flapping slightly in the wind as his shredder claws appeared, and Amethyst gulped.

"Let me through you pint sized albino!" Amethyst pulled her whip from her gem, glaring at Zeolite, who said nothing, shooting off the ground at her.

Pearl glared at Hematite, drawing her sword instead of her spear, knowing that Hematite wanted a duel, not a fight.

"Some Homeworld Gems believe you to be quite the inspirational story, you know." Hematite said as they circled one another slowly, each prepared for the other to strike.

"A gem made to be a servant that rose up to be a great swordsmen." Hematite readied his sword.

"Well isn't that nice to know." Pearl smirked lightly.

"But training can only get you so far." Hematite smirked lightly, his lifeless, grey eyes focusing on what he really couldn't see.

"But when you are created to fight with a blade. When you are a prodigy from the moment you are born into this world, given a blade and a will to be the best..." Hematite suddenly shot off the ground at Pearl, pulling back his blade.

 **"You can't see anything else!"  
**

* * *

 **So Howlite's gone rouge.**

 **And Zeolite and Hematite are Predator-ing it up.**

 **Anyway, expect the updates to be a bit further apart from now on. Sorry, but I'm starting to get back to my life outside of my fanfiction and eeeeeeeeh.**

 **I've planned out a lot more of this ark, such as what's going to happen plot wise, who's going to die (Yes people are going to die. Sorry Randal.), what part what characters will play, and so on.**

 **I've even thought out how the final battle will go with Bloodstone.**

 **And it's gonna be pretty intense.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	29. Chapter 28: Divide and Conquer (Part 2)

**Thanks go to Randal435, Guest, Alice, Guest,** **Kagehime-sama53, Guest, Jak Fortune, The King BB,** **Blue topaz the 5th, TennisCat, Guest, Guest, and Guest.**

 **I got a lot of reviews this chapter, so thanks for that, guys.**

 **Always know that your reviews are greatly appreciated.**

 **Fun Fact: Lignite was one of my favorite characters. I almost regret killing him off, which is why he's still mentioned often and will probably show up in just about every "Episode of _"**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

Matrix looked around the city as he walked, the sun going down once again.

"Do you really think they'll be in the city?" Peridot arched a brow at Matrix.

"They had to have attacked Emerald in the city, considering he only leaves it to visit us at the Temple." Matrix said, looking around.

"But if you must know, no I don't think they'll be showing up to fight us." Matrix said, glancing back at Peridot.

"Why's that?" Peridot said, slightly surprised by what he said.

"They wouldn't attack me, not head on." Matrix said, keeping his eyes peeled as he made sure they weren't being watched.

"And why wouldn't they?"

"They know that I'm probably one of the most dangerous of the Crystal Gems. Or think that, anyway." Matrix said with a shrug.

"Well aren't we over confident." Peridot rolled her eyes.

"Hey, who defeated Lignite the Savage?"

The same guy who was a little girl about it at his grave." Peridot smirked lightly, crossing her arms.

"The same guy you tried to kiss at said grave." Matrix smriked as well, and Peridot immediately looked flustered.

"I don't know what you're talking about! That never happened!"

* * *

Howlite shot through the city, remaining in the shadows as he kept watching, looking around.

 _Alright, I know where most of these idiots are positioned, Hematite and probably Zeolite have got to show up somewhere-_

Howlite suddenly jumped back, the ground in front of him exploding.

"Great." Howlite said sarcastically, watching a familiar scythe swing through the smoke, throwing it aside, revealing the Reaper Gem inside.

"Just great."

* * *

Amethyst shot back through the air, Zeolite's elbow slamming into her face and throwing her through the air.

Amethyst hit the ground, groaning slightly as she forced herself to sit up, her chin being met with a foot. She was thrown through the air once again.

Zeolite jumped into the air, spinning and slamming one foot into Amethyst's chest, throwing her down from the ridge and skidding down it towards the ground.

Zeolite jumped down, landing on Amethyst and slamming her deep into a crater, creating a shock wave that rocked the Earth.

"Pearl... I'm sorry..." Amethyst glanced over at Pearl, who was going toe to toe with Hematite.

"I let you down..."

"Hmph." Zeolite rose his blade into the air.

"I know the feeling."

* * *

"Amethyst!" Pearl exclaimed, earning a kick to the abdomen, throwing her back through the air.

She skidded on her feet across the ground, glaring up at Hematite, who stood calm as ever, not a scratch on him.

Pearl, however, was covered in them.

 _It's like he knows my every move before I make it...  
_

"I thought you'd be more of a challenge." Hematite rolled his grey eyes, spinning his blades.

"But I can see right through you."

 _Wait a minute... The grey eyes, his ability to know my move before I make it, the sight puns..._

"You're blind!" Pearl concluded, pointing her sword at Hematite.

Hematite smirked lightly. "Took you long enough to figure it out." Hematite stepped closer, preparing to attack once again.

"But it doesn't matter. It's too late for you to do anything based on this knowledge."

Hematite shot off the ground at Pearl, swinging at her from one side. She quickly rose one blade to block it, but as she did, Hematite swung with his other blade, slicing through her chest, blood splattering across the ground!

"You're weakened by your eyes." Hematite watched as Pearl stumbled back, struggling to hold up her sword.

"I've turned your sight into a liability." Hematite kicked Pearl to the ground, where she lay motionless, trying to catch her breath.

"You and the human child should use this as a learning opportunity." Hematite's blades rose into the air above Pearl's face.

Hematite's blades came down, and Pearl screamed in pain as her eyes were pierced by the blades.

"Become stronger and face me again another day." Hematite said as he walked away, Pearl writhing in agony on the ground behind him.

"Wow that was..." Zeolite trailed off as he followed Hematite.

"Something that you want to do." Hematite finished for him, and Zeolite gulped.

"If you want my advice, then just be yourself and stop trying to impress Bloodstone." Hematite said as they walked.

"But-"

"Just trust me on this one."

* * *

"What are you even doing here?!" Howlite asked as he jumped over Bloodstone's scythe.

"Well in order to properly test you and the Tigers Eye Gem, I knew I'd have to fight you." Bloodstone explained.

"I've already seen that you're above the other two, and Lignite was at least on par with Hematite and most certainly stronger than Zeolite." Bloodstone rolled his eyes.

"He could have been one of my reapers. What a disappointment he turned out to be."

In an instant, Bloodstone was thrown across the board walk, slamming into a boat and splashing into the water.

"Don't talk about Lignite." Howlite snarled, watching as Bloodstone pulled himself from the water, grinning.

"Aw, I struck a nerve." His grin suddenly darkened, and in an instant, he had Howlite by the throat.

"But I highly dislike being hit, Circus Freak."

"Then you're gonna hate me!" Bloodstone looked, arching a brow at the spear wielding gem coming down towards him.

He dropped Howlite, blocked Matrix's kick. Matrix back flipped off of Bloodstone, landing on his feet and skidding slightly as Howlite stood, rubbing his throat.

"I didn't need your help." Howlite stated, glaring at Matrix as they both stood ready for Bloodstone's next attack.

"Yeah, right." Matrix rolled his. "You'd be a gem in the water right now if if wasn't for me."

"Hmph." Howlite rolled his eyes, his metal maw appearing as he prepared for the next attack. "Just don't get in my way."

* * *

"Alright kid, its been fun, but I really need to go warn the others that Captain Crazy is here to kill us all." Emerald said, opening the door of Onion's room.

"Now I just have to figure out where they are..." Emerald said, stroking his imaginary beard in thought.

He looked down, feeling something tugging at his pant leg.

Onion stared up at him, pointing to his TV, which showed footage of the fight going on at the dock. It was labeled 'Beach City News', and seemed to be being recorded from a helicopter floating above the dock.

In an instant, Howlite was grabbed by the leg, Bloodstone spinning him before throwing him at the helicopter.

The helicopter was struck, and the camera went to static.

"Oh good god Bloodstone has arrived..." Emerald's eyes were wide in horror.

"I have to warn the others!"

* * *

Peridot helped people out of the crashed helicopter, looking over at the fight going on in the distance.

"Can't believe I got stuck with the grunt work..." She muttered as she moved a chunk of metal, the co-pilot to the helicopter crawling out.

"While Matrix is over there doing something stupid, I'm stuck over here getting you idiots out of this flying death trap you call a helicopter."

The ones she'd saved would have thanked her, but she clearly did not seem to be in the mood for it.

"Peridot, make sure no one is in the area of the fight," Peridot repeated in a mocking tone.

"Peridot, you aren't strong enough to fight Bloodstone," She said once again, recalling what Matrix had said.

"Peridot, I don't want anything to happen to you." She stopped.

"... Idiot..." She muttered, looking over in the distance with a light pink on her cheeks.

* * *

"Hey, I think I see something." Tiger said, looking towards the bottom of the ridge over looking the city.

"Whoa..." Jasper said, looking at the fight scene. "Looks like someone had a real bad time."

Tiger looked at the torn up ground, seeing Pearl's Gem sitting in the dust. "You said it..."

Jasper picked up Amethyst's gem from a crater, looking at it.

"Damn..."

"What the hell happened down here?" They looked to see Emerald landing, Onion on his back.

"Do you really have to ask?" Tiger held up Pearl's Gem, and Emerald sighed.

"I was worried that I'd be too late..."

"What's with the little sh!t?" Jasper asked, pointing at Onion.

"He's the one who found my gem after I got... Ahem, and he wouldn't let me leave his house without him." Emerald glanced at Onion, Onion staring back at him.

"Now go relay the message to everyone else." Emerald sat down Onion, who nodded, running off.

"What message?" Jasper arched a brow at Emerald.

"Oh, yeah. Howlite and Matrix are fighting Bloodstone at the dock."

"WHAT?!"

"Yep." Emerald said, looking in the direction of the dock. "So we better get moving."

"But I thought that kid didn't talk. How's he gonna relay the message?" Tiger asked.

"What? No, he talks." Emerald said. "At least to me, anyway."

They both stared at him in surprise.

"What?"

"When this is over, I demand an Episode of Emerald..." Tiger almost broke the forth wall.

* * *

Howlite slammed through the dock, crashing into the water and making water splash into the air.

"Howlite, get the hell up!" Matrix demanded, blocking a kick from Bloodstone, his arm shaking under the force, a crack being heard.

Matrix bit back a scream of pain, stumbling back as he grabbed his arm. Bloodstone grinned, jumping up and slamming both feet into Matrix's face, throwing him back through the air.

Matrix bounced and skid across the water, slamming into a boat and punching a hole in it.

The small boat began to take on water as Matrix laid motionless inside, groaning in pain.

Bloodstone floated above him, grinning as he rose his scythe into the air.

"You're pathetic." Bloodstone said as he prepared to bring his scythe down.

In an instant, the water behind him exploded, Howlite shooting from it and latching onto his back, sinking his teeth into his shoulder!

Bloodstone bit back a yell of pain, turning to look at Howlite and glaring.

"Uck youshelf." Howlite's voice was muffled, but the message was clear.

Bloodstone growled in anger, grabbing Howlite and yanking him off, blood spraying through the air as he lifted him into the air, slamming him down onto Matrix!

Howlite and Matrix slammed through the boat, sinking into the water.

They both sunk slowly, their eyes closed in pain.

Howlite's eyes opened slowly, looking to see the floating black figure above the water.

It was the Reaper of Gems.

They never stood a chance.

Bloodstone pulled his scythe into the air, the blade glowing as he prepared to slice down.

 _Damn it!_ Howlite thought, the water around him and Matrix suddenly freezing.

The blade sliced down, smashing into the ice. A black wave of energy came from the blade, slicing through the ice and down towards the two.

The wave exploded against them, throwing them into the depths of the water.

"Hmph." Bloodstone smacked dust off of his hands, his scythe disappearing.

He suddenly held up one hand, catching a green blast in it!

"What a surprise." He crushed the blast in his hand, watching it disperse through the air. "I suppose you want to fight me as well, Peridot?"

"Not me, but I know someone who might want to." She laughed nervously, jumping into the water.

It looked as though Bloodstone was about to jump in after her, when he caught Garnet's fist in his palm. He pulled back his leg, slamming it into her abdomen and throwing her back through the air.

Before he could continue to attack, he reached to his sides, catching two clubs.

He jumped up, kicking backwards and slamming both feet into Amazonite's chest, throwing her back through the air.

He landed on his hands, spinning under Emerald, who flew over him with his blade drawn.

He jumped up, slamming one foot into Emerald's chest and throwing him through the air.

When he jumped, Tiger shot below him with her claws out. He kicked into her back, propelling himself into the air.

He spun in air, slamming his calf into Emerald's abdomen and throwing him down into the ground and into Tiger!

He landed, standing in a fighting stance as Zeolite and Hematite suddenly landed at his sides, drawing their weapons.

"Sorry it took us so long, sir." Hematite said, his blades drawn and ready as the Crystal Gems surrounded them.

"It's no problem, really. I enjoy playing with these weaklings."

Suddenly, the water shook, and a glowing white energy shined from below it.

"Then you're gonna hate playing with me!"

It was a doubled voice so familiar that all of those who were there for the Beach City Brawl grinned.

"What's that?!" Jasper said, the water shaking as a green arm came from the water, grabbing onto the dock to pull itself up.

Garnet smirked. "The big scary fusion of Matrix and Peridot."

"I could say that I haven't been myself lately but..." Tanzanite smirked, standing tall on the docks.

"That would be rather cliche."

Hematite shot off the ground at the fusion, who smirked, pulling back his hand.

"Have a present!"

Tanzanite threw his arm forward, opening his hand and throwing Howlite at Hematite!

Howlite grinned, shooting at the shocked Hematite, spinning over his blades and sinking his teeth into his shoulder, spinning and throwing him at the ground!

Hematite exploded into the ground, and Howlite landed next to the crater as Zeolite shot at him.

He side stepped the blade, ramming his knee into Zeolite's chest and throwing him back in the opposite direction.

Bloodstone shot off the ground at Howlite, but a water hand grabbed him, stopping him from surprising the Beastly Gem.

Howlite grinned, turning and spinning, kicking Bloodstone across the face and out of the water hand.

Bloodstone growled lightly as he sat up, hearing a whistling in the air.

He suddenly jumped up, crossbow bolts pelting the ground where he had been a moment ago.

He turned to see Tanzanite's hand chopping at him, and he flipped over it. As he did so, a crossbow bolt was fired, skidding past his face and slicing open his cheek, tearing his hood.

"Well..." Bloodstone floated to the ground, Hematite and Zeolite jumping to his sides once again.

"I've grown tired of playing with these fools." Bloodstone said, his weapon disappearing.

A harpoon was fired at him, and he rose one hand, stopping it in his palm with ease. Tanzanite's eyes widened.

"Don't let yourself believe you can fight me, pathetic fusion." Bloodstone aimed an open palm at Tanzanite, who took aim on him once again as he prepared to attack.

Bloodstone grinned. "Soul Collector Art:"

The harpoon fired.

"Hand of death!"

A black symbol appeared on Bloodstone's hand, firing out at the harpoon. When they collided, the harpoon disintegrated, the symbol forcing its way up the harpoon.

The two in the fusion recognized the attack immediately, and they knew there was only one way to get out in time.

 _Defuse!_

Tanzanite was engulfed in light, splitting into two Gems that fell down to the earth, the symbol soaring over them.

It got far into the sky, than exploded on a near nuclear level, the shock wave flying towards the city.

Matrix grabbed Peridot, his back facing the shock wave as they fell from the sky, striking his back and throwing them both somewhere into the city.

Windows broke, and the gems were thrown to the ground.

"Damn it!" Howlite said, being thrown to the ground after a moment of trying to stay up.

Eventually the blast cleared, and Howlite stood slowly, looking around at all the other gems, who lay groaning in the dirt.

"Where did they-" Howltie was cut off, feeling a sharp pain in his stomach.

He looked down to find both of Hematite's blades in his abdomen.

Howlite turned quickly, slamming his foot into Hematite's chest and sending him skidding back.

Howlite panted, pulling the swords from his abdomen and throwing them to the ground, Zeolite and Bloodstone no where to be found.

Howlite felt two more sharp pains in each of his shoulders, his eyes widening as Zeolite shot by, stabbing both of his claws through each of Howlite's shoulders!

"Gah!" Howlite fell to his knees, struggling to climb to his feet.

He was picked up by the collar of his shirt, Bloodstone glaring into his eyes.

"Howlite, you're smart... Ish." Bloodstone grinned. "And plus you have that whole weird thing with Blue Diamond, so you should know where she is."

"Can't help ya there, Cuddle Bucket." Howlite grinned, blood on his teeth.

"Then you are useless to me." Bloodstone pulled back his scythe, slashing violently across Howlite's abdomen and chest.

Howlite roared in pain, his shirt being torn apart and his blood splattering to the ground.

As Howlite laid motionless on his back, Bloodstone stared at his chest, seeing something shinning blue in all the red.

He reached down, grabbing hold of it and pulling on it.

Pulling on what seemed to be the diamond implanted in his chest pulled Howlite up as well.

"Hm." Bloodstone grinned.

 **"It seems that I've found Blue Diamond."**

* * *

 **Well then, that's the chapter. I have nothing to say so...  
**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	30. Chapter 29: Hopeless(?)

**Thanks go to** **Kagehime-sama53, Rouge Command, The Imprisoned of Hell, kidscience22, Guest, Ange507090, Guest, and Guest.**

 **Fun Fact: This chapter might get a little bit heavy.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

Matrix groaned, stuck in the side of Funland Arcade.

Peridot was on the ground below him, slowly sitting up. Matrix had taken the force of the attack and hit the wall before letting her go.

"Matrix, you alright?" Peridot called up o him, and he fell from the building.

"Matrix!" Peridot exclaimed in surprise, catching Matrix. She grunted as she struggled to hold him up, setting him down to her side.

Matrix stared blankly at the sky.

"I can't do it anymore..."

* * *

"So why don't you explain this to me, Howlite?" Bloodstone asked Howlite, who shrugged weakly in his grasp.

"Bitches, am I right?" Howlite grinned, and Bloodstone glared at him, pulling back one fist and punching him across the face, throwing him across the dock.

Howlite lay on the wooden dock, his head hanging off over the edge.

"I was under the impression that you all would be a challenge. I mean, you defeated Eclipse, Lignite, and Blue Diamond, it seems." Bloodstone sighed, shaking his head.

"Perhaps the army isn't needed after all." Bloodstone said, clearly disappointed as his scythe appeared.

"Or perhaps you should stop under estimating earth!" Bloodstone reached up, catching a pink shield.

"Hm." Bloodstone looked up to see Stevonnie standing on a roof top, arms healed, most likely by Steven's spit.

"Doesn't she resemble that little girl you defeated, Hematite?" Bloodstone glanced at Hematite, who nodded.

"Finish her."

In an instant, Hematite had shot off the ground, jabbing at Stevonnie, who had no time to react.

Stevonnie's eyes widened in shock, blood spilling onto the ground.

"Steven! Connie!" Garnet said in shock, watching as Hematite smirked, giving the shocked fusion a light push off of the roof top from behind, making her plummet towards the earth.

"How pathetic." Hematite said, his ears suddenly twitching as he held up both swords, blocking Garnet's giant gauntlet.

His blades shook, cracks suddenly running through them as they shattered, and Garnet roared as her fist shot through, slamming into Hematite's face, throwing him violently across the dock and into the water.

Garnet panted in anger, seeing Stevonnie defuse on the ground, the children fighting for consciousness.

As she was about to jump down, her eyes widened in pain.

She looked slowly behind her, seeing Zeolite standing there, both of his claws going through her chest and abdomen.

"Gotcha." Zeolite smirked, and Garnet exploded into her gems.

* * *

"What do you mean you can't do it anymore?" Peridot arched a brow at Matrix.

"Its... It's nothing." Matrix climbed to his feet.

"I think we need a plan..." Peridot said, thinking.

"I don't think we have time for a plan."

Peridot didn't seem to hear Matrix, thinking. "Tanzanite didn't work, and clearly just throwing Matrix at him again won't work..."

"Don't talk about me like I'm a damn pawn!" Once again, Matrix was ignored.

"All of the Gems are in a damaged state including Matrix and I..." Peridot spoke as if to some sort of log.

"We need something with the strength to scare off Bloodstone, but only a fusion could achieve that power, and as it has been seen, Bloodstone doesn't seem to have a problem with defeating powerful fusions..."

"We'd need a fusion of the two strongest Gems we have, which would be-" Peridot cut herself off, a light grin coming to her face.

"Matrix, I have an idea, but you're really not gonna like it."

* * *

"Bloodstone, I did it!" Zeolite grinned, holding up Garnet's gems.

"I defeated one of their strongest gems!"

"One that I wanted to play with." Bloodstone said, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Why don't you play with us instead!"

Bloodstone jumped over Lapis's water wing, but was caught by Jasper's helmet, getting thrown across the dock and into the dock building that Zeolite stood on, basking in his failure.

It seemed that Steven and Connie had disappeared from the ground in front of the building, and Lapis rose a giant wave of water into the air.

She nodded at Howlite, who froze the water as she split it into spike like shards.

"Thanks for the heal, kid." Howlite glanced at Steven, who grinned happily.

Suddenly, the shards of ice flew down into the warehouse, coating it in holes and hoping to get Bloodstone.

"Did they get him?" Connie asked, and Emerald shook his head.

"I doubt it."

As if on cue, the warehouse began to glow, and its walls exploded outwards, spikes of wall flinging at them.

Steven grabbed Howlite, shoving him to the ground as a bubble appeared around them.

Howlite reached out, and a wall of ice appeared before Jasper and Lapis along with Tiger, Emerald, Amazonite and Connie.

The building exploding threw Zeolite somewhere into the city, not to be seen again.

The walls of ice cracked, and Lapis brought up more water from the ocean, reinforcing the walls.

Eventually the shrapnel stopped, and the walls disappeared, Howlite and Lapis panting with exhaustion.

After a moment of silence, Bloodstone shot from the smoke, grabbing Lapis by the face and slamming her into the dock as he shot forward, breaking through the wood and eventually reaching the end up it, lifting her up and slamming her into the water.

Jasper jumped above him, bringing her helmet down towards his head.

Bloodstone shot up, head butting her helmet.

There was a moment of stillness before cracks ran through the helmet, and Jasper exploded backwards as the Helmet exploded into shards.

Amazonite reached out, catching Jasper and skidding back as she did so. Jasper groaned, forehead bleeding.

Amazonite looked up, and her eyes widened, seeing Bloodstone's scythe coming down towards her!

Everyone's eyes widened as Bloodstone's scythe sliced her down the middle once again.

"Damn it!" Emerald shot off the ground at Bloodstone, slicing at him with two arm blades, Bloodstone easily ducking and dodging around them.

Bloodstone's scythe slashed up, ramming up into Emerald's stomach, making his eyes widen as his blood spilled onto the floor.

Emerald's gem fell to the ground, and as Bloodstone was about to crush it under his foot, something tackled him, throwing him to the ground.

Jasper was on top of Bloodstone, slamming her fists into his face again and again.

"Damn!" Punch.

"Dirty!" Punch.

"Reaper!" Headbutt.

Bloodstone's fist shot upward, slamming into Jasper's nose and throwing her back through the air, slamming onto the dock and cracking the wood.

Cracks ran through her gem, and it seemed as though it was about to shatter from one punch.

"Jasper!" Lapis exclaimed as she pulled herself from the water.

"We're dropping like flies!" Tiger exclaimed, standing next to Howlite, Steven and Connie behind them, fear clear on their faces.

"Hey, brat... Listen..." Jasper said, glancing at Lapis as she stood slowly. "I'm sorry..."

"Ohoho, what's this?" Bloodstone grinned as he watched Jasper begin to stumble towards him.

"Jasper, don't!" Tiger shot off the ground towards them, but Bloodstone rolled his eyes, spinning his scythe and throwing it at her in a buzz saw form that was all too familiar.

Tiger dodged to the side, the scythe spinning through her right shoulder and taking it off in an instant.

Tiger hit the ground, bouncing and skidding, groaning it pain.

"What do you mean your sorry?" Lapis asked, confused.

"For everything that I did... Locking you up in that ship, trying to use you to kill the Gems, making you stay with me at the bottom of the ocean..." Jasper looked down, her hands clenching into fists.

"W-why are you bringing this up now?" Lapis asked, shocked by Jasper's sudden apology.

"Its time for me to atone for my sins, Lapis." Lapis's eyes widened at Jasper's words.

"L-Lapis..?"

"That is your name, right?" Jasper turned around, grinning almost happily at Lapis.

"Tell everyone else I'm sorry for what I've done to them as well, alright?"

"You can tell them yourself!" Lapis exclaimed, standing up from the water.

"Something tells me I won't be around for that part."

"Jasper please whatever you're planning just don't-"

Lapis was cut off, Jasper's foot slamming into her chest and throwing her back into the water!

Jasper turned, running towards Bloodstone, who stood waiting with a grin.

"I'm going to finish this now!"

Jasper pulled back her fist, slamming it directly into Bloodstone's face will all of her might!

He didn't budge.

"Well that was anticlimactic." Bloodstone said blandly, His hand suddenly shooting out and ramming into Jasper's Gem!

Jasper's eyes were wide as her gem shattered under the force, and her physical form disappeared!

All went silent, all that was heard was the clack of her gem shards hitting the ground.

Lapis had emerged from the water just soon enough to see the one she'd hated for so long be killed trying to save her.

Tears built in her eyes.

 **"JASPER!"**

* * *

"There is no way in hell I am going through with that plan Peridot!" Matrix yelled after hearing her idea.

"Matrix, use your hea-" Peridot stopped midsentence, grabbing her head as she felt some sort of mental shockwave.

"You alright?" Matrix asked, arching a brow at her.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine..." Peridot looked towards the dock.

 _Jasper..._

* * *

Everyone's eyes were wide in shock, and they were all shocked into silence.

"And to think, she survived the Gem Wars." Bloodstone kicked Jasper's shards to Lapis, who fell to her knees before them, picking them up in her hands as tears dripped from her eyes.

"What a disappointme-" Bloodstone was cut off by a roar of anger.

Everyone turned to see Howlite shooting off the ground at Bloodstone, slamming one fist into his cheek faster than he could react, creating a shock wave and throwing the Reaper Gem across the dock!

Howlite shot up to him again as he flew over the dock, pulling both of his fists into the air, locking them together and slamming them down on Bloodstone's chest, sending him smashing through the concrete.

Howlite held two hands above the hole, glowing blue from the gem in his chest, his eyes, and his palms.

"BEGONE!"

Giant waves of blue energy engulfed the hole in the concrete, and the dock began to explode from below, pieces of concrete cracking apart and falling into the ocean below.

After a moment of stillness, Bloodstone shot from the crater, slamming one fist into Howlite's cheek.

Howlite's head was pushed back slightly, but he only snarled, glaring at Bloodstone with eyes full of hatred.

"That's new." Bloodstone said, slightly surprised before Howlite's knee rammed into his chest, throwing him back through the air.

Howlite shot off at him once again, his metal maw appearing as he snapped at him.

Bloodstone swung his scythe at Howlite, but Howlite caught the blade in his teeth, snarling as the blade began to crack.

The blade shattered, and Howlite's jaws snapped open immediately, a blue light coming from his throat.

Bloodstone jumped back a second too late, and the blue wave of energy engulfed him.

Bloodstone shot from the energy engulfing him, grabbing Howlite by the mouth and slamming him into the ground, the concrete of the dock cracking.

Howlite slammed both of his feet into Bloodstone's chest, kicking him off of him and back flipping to his feet, roaring before shooting off the ground at Bloodstone, slamming one fist into his chest and throwing him off into the water.

Bloodstone roared in anger, shooting off the water back at Howlite, slamming his fist into Howlite's face once again.

And once again Howlite barely budged.

Howlite snarled, slamming his fist into Bloodstone's face.

In an instant, they were both punching one another in the face rapidly, roaring in anger.

"What the hell are you?! Who do you think you are to stand up to me?!" Bloodstone rammed his knee into Howlite's chest, making him hunch over, where he bit Bloodstone's leg, snarling and turning, throwing Bloodstone across the dock, where he caught himself, skidding on his feet across the ground.

"I am a god!" Bloodstone roared, holding up one palm as the symbol once again formed on his palm.

"You're a god, huh?" Howlite said, the symbol being shot at him as he stood calm, his hair covering his eyes.

"What a coincidence..." Howlite grinned, catching the symbol and sliding back across the ground!

"I'M A GOD EATER!"

Howlite sunk his teeth into the symbol, and it shattered to pieces!

The energy from it seemed to be absorbed into him, and he began to laugh that disgusting, sickening laugh as black energy came off of him.

"Damn Lab Freak!" Bloodstone roared in anger, shooting off the ground at Howlite as Howlite shot at him.

They collided, and began to disappear and reappear across the sky, punching one another with enough force to create shock waves.

Lapis didn't watch the fight.

She couldn't.

She could only sit there and stare at Jasper's gem shards.

Why? Why had she done such a thing?

She must of known how pointless it would be to fight...

How hopeless it all was...

But if that was true, then why was Howlite still fighting?

She looked up, seeing him roar in anger as he slammed his fist into Bloodstone's face, Bloodstone slamming both conjoined fists on top of his head, making him plummet into the water, which he burst from seconds later, screaming in rage.

Where had this power come from? She knew that he could get a bit of a power boost when he was angry, but he didn't look like he was going corrupt, and she didn't understand why he would be so angry.

She'd never even seen him speak to Jasper other than when they fought, and they certainly didn't seem to have any kind of history, as neither of them knew a thing about one another when they fought.

"Well..." Tiger stood, Steven having healed her arm back into place. "Looks like this fight went full circle."

"He's... He's really angry..." Connie said.

"I don't even think he was this angry when he fought Blue Diamond..." Steven said, watching the titans collide.

"I don't even think he was that close to Jasper." Tiger said, arching a brow at the collision shock waves in the sky.

"Call it a hunch, but I don't think that's what set him off." Connie said, glancing over at the crying Lapis.

* * *

"What's going on up there?" Matrix said over the roaring and fighting noises in the sky.

"Well I think Howlite might be a bit too preoccupied for our plan..." Peridot said, looking at her finger screen, which showed a close up on the fight.

"I don't think he will be for long." Matrix said, watching as Howlite began to look as though he was growing tired, slamming his fist into Bloodstone's face, Bloodstone barely budging as he returned the hit with a kick to the chest, sending Howlite spiraling to the ground.

Howlite slammed into the concrete, skidding through it and making a line crater from one end of the dock to the other.

"A god eater, huh?" Bloodstone landed on the other side of the dock, walking towards Howlite. "All you are is a power thief."

"A power thief that's gonna kick your ass." Howlite climbed to his feet, watching as Zeolite and Hematite landed at Bloodstone's sides once again.

Howlite wiped blood from his lip, getting ready to attack again.

Suddenly, a spear landed between them, and Matrix and Peridot landed at Howlite's sides.

"And where the hell were you two?" Howlite asked. "Scratch that, I don't want to know what disgusting things you two do when your alone."

Peridot and Matrix glared at Howlite, both of them blushing lightly.

"No time to acknowledge that one," Peridot said. "Look, we've only got one way out of this."

"Yeah, if I continue beating him into the dirt." Howlite grinned, and Peridot shook her head.

"I ran a few calculations." She said. "Bloodstone wasn't as his full power when you were fighting him, and now that power that you had from whatever the hell made you so angry is gone."

"Than what do you suggest, oh wise one?" Howlite rolled his eyes.

"The plan is quite simple actually." Peridot said.

"All you two need to do is fuse."

"No." Howlite answered immediately.

"It's either that or we all get killed." Peridot shrugged.

"..." Howlite glanced back at all of the gems laying lifeless in the dirt, those who stood injured, unable to fight, and those where dead...

His hands clenched into fists, and he sighed. "Fine, I guess I do still have a debt to pay..."

"I really don't think you're little plan will work, but go on ahead." Bloodstone grinned.

"Your over confidence will be the end of you."

* * *

Steven, Lapis, Connie, and Tiger all stood at the other side of the dock, Steven having an arm around Lapis to comfort her.

Everyone else stared at the battle field, waiting for something to happen.

"What are they doing?" Tiger asked. "Why are they just standing there?"

"Wait, I think they're moving." Connie said. "Wait... Are they dancing?"

"WHAT?!" Steven jumped up eagerly, watching as they morphed into a ball of light, which was suddenly engulfed in the form of two heads, one looking to be a tiger and the other a wolf as they spiraled into the air, combining into one as they went until both of their mouths opened, and in a burst of light, there a new being stood.

He wore Matrix's cloak, though unlike Tanzanite, the hood was down, revealing silver hair. His skin was white, though like Matrix's skin, orange lines ran across his skin.

His clothes also resembled Howlite's, his eyes closed and his expression calm.

He stood at about six foot eight. He only had two arms and two eyes, and the Blue Diamond in his chest was visible, as he was missing a shirt.

His eyes suddenly snapped open, making Zeolite flinch. This fusion seemed to radiate power...

"And so I finally exist..." He looked at his hand. His hand suddenly clenched into a fist, and a shock wave of power created a crater below him.

Xenotime was awake.

A grin spread across his face as he began to walk towards the invading gems.

Xenotime was alive.

"What a... Nice feeling it is, this existing." The enemy gems tensed at Xenotime's passive aggressive voice.

"And what a nice feeling it is," Xenotime's grin turned dark.

 **"Seeing my prey right before me."**

* * *

 **What are the words I'm looking for?  
**

 **Oh, yeah.**

 **BOOYAH MOTHER F#CKER!**

 **I just introduced my favorite fusion.**

 **And killed off my first good guy.**

 **SorryNotSorry.**

 **So get ready for the battle of really OP sh!t.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out  
**


	31. Chapter 30: The Devourer

**Thanks go to Guest,** **Cfintimidator,** **Mr. Haziq,** **Kagehime-sama53, Guest, Guest, Randal435, Komnenid, Guest,** **Ange507090, Guest, TennisCat, and Hollyberry of Skyclan.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"Holy..." Peridot backed up away from Xenotime slowly, laughing nervously.

"And Peridot once again you have proven to be a genius." Peridot grinned to herself, laughing as she backed slowly away from the fight scene.

"Steven could have came up with your plan." Xenotime glaned at her out of the corner of his eye.

Peridot gulped, beginning to sweat under Xenotime's cold stare. "U-uh..."

"But then again, I suppose Steven wouldn't have been able to convince Matrix to do this..." Xenotime looked at his hand, clenching it into a fist once again.

And once again there was a shock wave of power.

"Whatever the case, I suggest you get everyone out of the area." Xenotime said, glancing back to the enemy.

"What a familiar order." Peridot rolled her eyes.

"Well you can't stay here and fight." Xenotime turned to look at her, smirking lightly.

"Half of me really doesn't want anything to happen to you."

"Eheh..." Peridot found a light red on her cheeks as she backed up from the fusion. "Just... Keep that idiot out of trouble."

"Can do. Now, I suggest you evacuate the city." Xenotime grinned, looking to the enemy gems before him. "Because this is going to be... Rather destructive."

"Noted." Peridot turned, running towards the others.

"Get all of the Gems laying around here and evacuate the city! This is gonna get bad!" She called while running towards them.

 _The hell was that?_ Howlite's voice was heard in Xenotime's head.

 _What do you mean?_ Matrix's voice was heard.

 _Really? "Half of me really doesn't want anything to happen to you." Get a room._

 ** _I hate to interrupt, but I'm kind of trying to do a thing here, guys._** Xenotime's voice was heard.

"Zeolite, attack." Bloodstone said, glancign at Zeolite.

"S-sir, he's so powerful. There's no way that I could-" Zelote was cut off by the death glare from Bloodstone.

"Y-yes, of course, sir..." Zeolite took a deep breath, both of his claws appearing as he shot off the ground at Xenotime.

"Hm." Xenotime stood calm as Zeolite roared, slicing at him from both sides as he left his chest open for no more than a split second.

50% more of a second that Xenotime needed.

Xenotime's palm shot forward, slamming into Zeolite's chest faster than anyone ut Bloodstone and Xenotime could see.

All anyone else was was Zeolite bursting off the ground at him, and then Zeolite exploding into his gem.

Xenotime held out his hand, catching Zeolite's gem in his palm.

"Catch." Xenotime said blankly, tossing Zeolite's gem to Hematite.

Hematite sheathed one of his blades, catching Zeolite's gem.

In an instant, he was in two, a white blur shooting by and flipping in air, landing back to back with Bloodstone.

"Seems that you Homeworld Gems go through soldiers like Copy Paper." Xenotime said, looking uninterested at his finger nails.

Bloodstone snarled, whipping around and swinging his scythe at Xenotime, who reached out, catching it in his palm.

"You're going to have to try a bit harder than that, Red." Xenotime said, and Bloodstone growled, jumping back.

"Oh this should be fun."

* * *

"Did you guys see that?!" Steven asked, turning around to watch as Xenotime cut through Zeolite and Hematite with ease.

"No, it was all way too fast..." Tiger said, her head spinning at the sheer power of this fusion.

"We should really get out of here..." Connie said.

As they began to move towards he city, Peridot turned around, glancing back at the fusion.

 _Don't do anything stupid, Matrix..._

* * *

Shockwaves rocked the sky, the two collding in the sky.

Bloodstone plummeted towards the earth, slamming through the dock and into the water.

He rocketed from the ocean moments later, pulling back one fist and punching at Xenotime, who caught it in his palm, grinning as BLoodstone snarle,d pulling back one leg and slamming it into his chest, throwing him back through the air.

Bloodstone appeared above Xenotime, slamming both conjoined fists to the top of Xenotime's head, throwing him into the second building on the dock, Xenotime's impact making it come down on top of him as he lay in side of it.

The building's rubble exploded into the air, and Xenotime shot up, slamming one fist into Bloodstone's abdomen, making him hunch over and cough saliva.

Xenotime spun around Bloodstone, slamming one leg into the back of his neck, sending him spinning into the concrete of the dock.

A roar of anger was heard from the hole in the concrete, and a spinning scythe flung up at the fusion, who stood calm, Howlite's metal maw appearing over his teeth.

He caught the scythe with ease, grinnign as he crushed its blade in his teeth.

"What the hell are you?!" Bloodstone asked as he slammed one fist into Xenotime's abdomen, shooting from the concrete.

He jumped up, slamming his knee into Xenotime's cheek and making him skid back through the air.

"I am a fusion." Xenotime said simply, spitting blood to the side. "My name is Xenotime."

"That's not what I meant!" Bloodstone slammed both fists atop Xenotime's head, sending him plummeting into the ground.

"Hm..." Xenotime stood from the concrete crater he was in, dusting himself off. "My apologies, I'm new to this."

Bloodstone snarled, aiming an open palm at Xenotime. "Soul Collector Art: Soul Theft!"

A wave of black energy fired quickly from Bloodtone's palm towards Xenotime who stood calm.

A grin suddenly cracked across his face, and he lifted one hand up to the blast, a white symbol appearing on his hand.

"Devourer Art:" Xenotime's feet dug into the ground, the blast hitting his hand.

"Power Hungry!"

In an instant, the blast began to get sucked into Xenotime's hand!

"What the hell?!" Bloodstone exclaimed as he witnessed his power be devoured.

He stopped firing, and in an instant, Xenotime was gone.

"To properly answer your previous question," Xenotime stood behind Bloodstone, pulling back his glowing hand and pressing it to his back.

"I am The Devourer."

A wave of stolen power burst from Xenotime's hand, engulfing Bloodstone in an instant!

* * *

"EVAC-UATE"

The city began to empty for the forth time, the remaining Gems helping everyone to get out of the city as the shock waves ran randomly across the sky, all of Beach City becoming their arena.

A white beam of energy running across the sky made everyone look up in shock.

Bloodstone plummeted from the sky, slamming through the highway.

"Damn it!" Bloodstone shot back into the sky, his cloak now in tatters.

"Idiots!" Peridot exclaimed, looking to the broken highway. The crater was too deep for cars to get over.

"Hey, Steven, how big can you make your shield?" She arched a brow at Steven.

"Big enough." Steven shrugged.

"Put one over this crater as a ramp for the cars and keep it there!" Peridot ordered, and Steven nodded quickly, doing as he was told.

"Connie and Tiger, go and get any stragglers." Peridot ordered, and the two nodded, going off in different directions to ind anyone.

"Lapis, go and ind any fishing boats and tell them to get out of the water and stay away from the city." Peridot turned to look at Lapis, who stood silent, staring at the Gem shards in her hands.

"I cant..." She said in almost a whisper.

"Oh you are not going to do this now." Peridot said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't you get it?!" Lapis suddenly snapped, making Peridot flinch.

"Jasper is dead because of me!"

"Jasper dead trying to protect you, its not your fault that-" Peridot was cut off.

"You don't know anything, okay Peridot?!" Lapis's outburst made Peridot's eyes widen.

"Me and Jasper were one for so long, I learned so much about her and..." Lapis shook her head. "Its like a part of me died, Peridot! You wouldn't know anything about that!"

Peridot's expression turned from shock to anger rather quickly. "What, do you think I don't w=care that Jasper's dead?" She snapped, surprising Lapis.

"Me and Jasper worked together for a long time, Lapis! I don't have a lot of friends, or at least I didn't, but she was certainly one of them!" Tears seemed to be building in Peridot's eyes.

"So don't you talk about her like I didn't know anything about her and that I'm just some heartless bitch, because I'm not!" Peridot exploded.

Lapis sat dumbstruck by Peridot's words.

"Look," Peridot knelt down to be eye level with Lapis, who had fallen to her knees once again.

Peridot pulled off her visor, putting a hand on Lapis's shoulder. Lapis looked up into her eyes, realizing that a few tears ran down Peridot's face.

"We can grieve when the inhabitants of Beach City are safe and Bloodstone has paid for what he's done." Peridot said, and Lapis nodded slowly, smiling sadly as she came to her feet, her wings appearing as she flew into the sky.

Peridot sighed, climbing to her feet and wiping tears from her face and eyes, placing her visor back over her face.

"Damn I'm a good leader." She smirked, looking to the sky and thinking.

"You!" She suddenly pointed to Greg, who was drving on the highway with his van.

"Uh... Yeah?" Greg answered, being stuck in the traffic.

"You know where the Laser Light Cannons are, correct?" Peridot asked.

"Uh, yeah. The gems gave them to me to hold so everyone would be able to be able to find them after the Brawl down at the Beach."

"Good." Peridot opened the passenger door of his van. "You and I are going to retrieve them and place them."

* * *

Xenotime and Bloodstone's fist slammed into the others face at the same time, and the city quaked as they both flew back through the air and catching themselves before shooting off at one another again.

Xenotime blocked a kick with his forearm, his palm shooting out and ramming int oBloodstone's chest, throwing him back through the air.

Bloodstone took the hit, but instead of letting himself fly back he wrapped his legs around Xenotime's arm, flipping back up behind him and jabbing him in the back of the neck, making his eyes widen before Bloodstone kicked off of him.

Xenotime caught himself, wiping blood from his lip. He turned around just in time to catch Bloodstone's fist in his palm, feeling the orce run through his arm.

He grinned, pulling back one leg and slammign it into Bloodstone's side, Bloodstone's body beeing hit with shock waves of force.

"Well, I'll give you credit..." Bloodstone kicked off of Xenotime, floating to the ground.

"Now that you're fused, you might just be a god eater." Bloodstone grinned. "But you're still just another freak."

In that instant, Bloodstone was hunched over Xenotime's fist, Xenotime growling.

"Half of me rather dislikes that word." Xenotime threw Bloodstone into the air with a second punch, jumping up after him and spinning slamming hid calf into the back of the reaper Gem.

Bloodstone was cratered immediately, and Xenotime held one hand over the hole, his hand glowing blue as did the Diamond in his chest.

In an instant, a barrage of blue blasts had engulfed the earth below Xenotime, Xenotime roaring in anger.

Bloodstone shot from the barrage of blasts dirrectly in front of Xenotime, puilling back one fist and slamming it into his face.

Xenotime grabbed Blodostone by the wrist after being punched, ramming his knee into Blodostone's abdomen before pulling up one elbow, slamming it down on the back of Bloodstone's neck and sending him back into the ground.

Xenotime landed in front of Bloodstone as he climbed to his feet, snarling as his scythe appeared, and he spun it, throwing it at Xenotime, who easily side stepped it.

It flew off into the distance, and Fun Land RollerCoaster was seen falling in the back ground after it slashed by.

Bloodstone shot off the ground at Xenotime, slamming his fist into the super powered fusions face, throwing him back through the air.

Bloodstone flew over Xenotime, slicing down at him with a new scythe.

In a flash of Blue, Xenotime was blocking with Blue Diamond's shield, Matrix's spear appearing in his free hand as he thrust forward, stabbing through Bloodstone's side.

Bloodstone snarled, breaking off the spear and slamming one fist into Xenotime's face, throwing him into the ground as he jumped back, skidding on his feet and pulling the spear from his side.

He growled. "You're pathetic! Fusion is just a cheap tactic to make weak Gems stronger!" He spat, and Xenotime grit his teeth.

"Funny that you would quote her..." He said, his weapons disappearing.

Bloodstone looked slightly confused as Xenotime's weapons disappeared, but his eyes widened in shock as a fist shot through his abdomen, coming out from his back.

"But don't you ever do it again." Xenotime whispered in his ear, his hand glowing blue as blue energy shot from his hand, sending Bloodsotne flying across the city, smashing through the Big Donut.

"Heh... Heheheheheh... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Xenotime watched as BLoodstone rose from the rubble, laughing like a madman.

The hole in his abdomen sealed quickly, and his scythe appeared once again.

"You fools! I am a god! A GOD!" He roared, his scythe growing as he pulled it back, the strange symbol appearing in its blade.

"Soul Collector Art: Reaper Slash!"

He slashed violently through the air, sending waves of energy off of its blade at Xenotime!

Xenotime snarled, a large blue shield appearing in front of him, blocking the slashes and making the shield shake.

The ground around Xenotime was sliced apart, along with e buildings around him.

Fryman Fries was slashed in two, then four, then eight, then sixteen, then then thirty two.

* * *

Tiger helped Mr. Smiley out from under the rubble of Fun Land Roller Coaster.

"Those idiots are going to wreck the whole city..." Tiger muttered, watching the blades of energy fly through the air.

"What's going on..?" M. Smiley asked as Tiger carried him towards the evacuation point.

"Bad times, Mr. Fun Land Man."

* * *

Steven panted as he held the shield in place, and Lion seemed to be helping hold it up by laying under it, pushing up on it as the cars went over it.

Connie was helping a few people into ambulances up the road.

Greg's van stopped next to the road, the back being opened as Greg and Peridot carried out a Laser Light Cannon from it, placing it next to the road.

The LAser Light Cannon had a green box like device on its back, and Peridot opened up her finger screen, which showed three different views from different Laser Light Cannons.

Peridot laughed to herself, smirking.

"I am a genius."

* * *

The Blue Diamond sheild cracked, and a blast slash shot through, slicing through Xenotime's cheek.

Xenotime snarled, dropping the shield and shooting forward, his face and body getting slashed as Matrix's spear appeared in his hand, and he thrust it forward as he shot at Bloodstone.

"Spear of The Devourer!"

The spear glowed, growing as its blade turned white.

BLoodstone's eyes widened, the spear shooting through his chest!

Bloodstone stumbled slightly, his hood falling, revealing the gem in his forehead.

"D-damn it..." Bloodstone said as it felt as thoguh his power was being sucked away by the spear.

Xenotime grinned, leaning forward as he opened his jaws, preparing to bite down on Bloodstone's gem.

He suddenly stopped, a voice close to MAtrix's being heard.

"What are you dong?! We can't just eat his gem!"

"BUt think of the power rush! We can finish him, and then we'd have the power to go blow up Homeworld ourselves!" Howlite said.

"No, we aren't doing it!"

"You're an idiot, yes we are!"

Xenotime began to shake, and he stumbled back as BLoodstone grinned, pulling himself free of the life sapping spear.

"Damn it Matrix, you've screwed us!" Howlite could be heard.

"You're both idiots..." That was the last thing Xenotime said before he disappeared in a flash of light, and on the ground lay Howlite and Matrix, groaning in pain.

"Well, you damn dirty power thieves almost had me there." Bloodstone grinned weakly.

"Now it's my turn." Bloodstone floated into the air, a ball of black appearing above his hands as he held them into the air.

But as he did, he could hear someone say something about hotdogs and porkchops, and a glowign pink light entered the sky.

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me-" Blodosotne was cut off as the beams of light coming from three different directions engulfed him, and his roar of pain was drowned out in the roar of the blast.

"Ha! Got your bitch ass!" Peridot gloated, looking up from her finger screen to see Bloodstone falling from the sky.

As he did, he suddenly disappeared, and her eyes narrowed.

"Go ahead then, run you son of a bitch..." Peridot grit her teeth, knowing Bloodstone was escaping.

"I cannot believe you!" Howlite snarled, standing as MAtrix climbed to his feet. "We almost had him, and you screwed up everything!"

"It's not my fault, you power hungry-"

"Go ahead, say it! I dare you!"

Matrix gave a challenging glare, finishing his sentence.

"FREAK!"

In an instnat, Matrix was skidding, bouncing and flippign across the city, Howlite roaring after punching him across the face.

"That's it, your dead!"

* * *

Bloodstone walked over the destroyed dock, seeing Zeolite standing, holding Hematite's gem.

"I reformed as soon as I could, sir." Zeolite smiled, and Bloodstone shook his head.

"I don't even want to talk to you right now..." Bloodstone rolled his eyes, and Zeoltie's shoulders sunk.

"But..." Bloodstone grinned.

 **"It turns out that we might need that army after all."**

* * *

 **So Xenotime was a thing, will be a thing later, and is the thing.  
**

 **And Peridot isn't emotionless.**

 **And Howlite and Matrix are gonna throw down next chapter.**

 **Y'all Mother F#ckers ready?**

 **Because this.**

 **Is.**

 **Invasion Part 1!**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review!**

 **Xwolf26, out**


	32. Chapter 31: Episode of Howlite (Part 2)

**Thanks go to Kagehime-sama53, Guest, kidscience22, Jak Fortune, Lin, Guest,** **Hollyberry of Skyclan,** **Ange507090, and Guest.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"Howlite, what are you doing?!" Peridot asked as Howlite turned to look at her, snarling.

"Stay out of it!"

In an instant, Howlite was slammed into the ground, Matrix standing over him, his fist rammed into Howlite's face.

Howlite kicked both feet into Matrix's chest, throwing the Tigers Eye Gem back through the air.

Howlite jumped up after him, spinning and slamming a leg into his face, throwing him to the side and through another building.

Howlite sucked air into his lungs, his chest puffing out as the diamond under his shirt glowed blue.

With a roar, the blast of blue fired violently through the air, obliterating the building Matrix was in and everything inside of it.

Well, almost everything.

Matrix shot high into the air from the rubble, throwing a spear down at Howlite, who's metal maw appeared as he caught it in his teeth.

Matrix shot from the sky, slamming one foot into the end of the spear, forcing it back through the back of Howlite's head.

Howlite stumbled as his eyes closing momentarily. They suddenly snapped open, and he bit down on the spear, crushing it to pieces and making splinters of wood fly through the air, grinning as he pulled the spear from his head.

"Ow..." He laughed lightly, that sickly laugh of his.

 _My Name (Wearing Me Out)_ By _Shinedown_ began playing in the background.

"What the hell are you?" Matrix's eyes narrowed as the hole in the back of Howlite's neck healed.

"You know exactly what I am." Howlite's eyes narrowed as well, and they shot off the ground at one another.

Their fists slammed together, a shock wave rocking the city.

"Damn it! You two have screwed up the city enough!" Peridot said, but neither of them seemed to hear her.

Howlite sunk his teeth into Matrix's shoulder, and Matrix rammed his spear through Howlite's shoulder in return.

The two jumped back, skidding across the ground before running at one another again, pulling their heads back and slamming them together, creating another shock wave.

Howlite snapped his jaws at Matrix, who put his spear in Howlite's jaws, stopping them for a moment before kicking him in the chin, making his teeth snap through the wood and into one another.

Matrix shot forward, slamming his knee into Howlite's chest and throwing him back through the air.

As Howlite shot through the air, Matrix appeared above him, slamming his knee into Howlite's face, throwing him into the ground.

Matrix panted, standing over the crater. Suddenly ,a hand shot from the ground below him, grabbing him and yanking him half way into the ground.

Howlite shot from the ground in front of Matrix, who was trapped in the earth.

Howlite pulled back one foot, slamming it into Matrix's face and breaking his nose.

Howlite grabbed the nearly unconscious Matrix by the hair, yanking him up from the hole and pulling back one clawed hand.

In an instant, Matrix's clawed hand wrapped around Howlite's throat. "Piss... Off..."

In the next instant, Matrix had slammed one foot into Howlite's face, throwing him back through the air and freeing himself.

Matrix back flipped through the air, landing on his feet and pulling his spear from his eye.

Howlite landed on four legs, skidding back as his claws dug into the concrete.

"Come at me cuddles." Matrix challenged, readying his spear as Howlite snarled, shooting off the ground at him.

Howlite bit onto the end of the spear, cracks spreading through its blade as Howlite flipped over it, throwing a punch at Matrix's face, which he caught, growling as he struggled to hold it in place.

Howlite spun, sending a kick at Matrix's head, but Matrix ducked, coming up with a punch to Howlite's abdomen.

Howlite took the punch, spitting blood as he was send through the air, flipping and skidding on his feet.

Matrix ran at him, pulling back one fist. Howlite jumped forward, slamming a fist into Matrix's chest, throwing him backwards as Howlite jumped into the air, coming down on Matrix with one foot forward, slamming into Matrix's chest and slamming them both into a crater.

The two shot from the crater seconds later, fists slamming into one another as shock waves rocked the city once again.

In mid air, the two pulled back their heads, ramming them together and creating a shock wave that not only made their foreheads bleed but threw them both to the ground, skidding to opposite sides of the city.

"Good, maybe they've tired themselves out." Peridot rolled her eyes, looking at the rubble that was once Beach City.

"We've really screwed up the city this time..."

* * *

Howlite lay on his back, staring at the sky.

It hurt to move, but just before he gave up, he heard that scream echo in his head, and he climbed to his feet, his hands digging into the dirt.

"He screwed up everything..." Howlite said, his hands clenched into fists as he stumbled back across the city to continue the fight, his right arm bent the wrong way.

A familiar sobbing echoed through his mind, and his teeth grit.

Meanwhile, Matrix was climbing out of his own hole.

"Damn wolf bastard..." He muttered, limping back towards Howlite. "The savage ruined everything..."

Once they could both see each other again, they ran at one another, pulling their fists back.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" They yelled in unison, their fists slamming into the others cheek, throwing them both to the ground.

And there they lay, panting and bleeding as they both tried desperately to stand.

"You know what..?" Howlite said, struggling to his feet, blood dripping to the ground.

"F#ck this..." Howlite said, stumbling away from the fight. He stopped, turning around for a moment to spit on Matrix before turning away again and continuing his walk.

Matrix just laid there, thinking.

* * *

Howlite stumbled to the beach, walking towards the water to walk away on an ice bridge once again.

"You look like you got hit by a truck..."

Howlite turned around to see Lapis sitting against a rock, looking up at him.

"Worse, I got into a fist fight with Matrix." Howlite said, deciding to sit next to Lapis to rest.

"You what?!" Lapis said, jumping up.

"Are you insane?!"

"A little bit, yeah."

Lapis sighed, taking water from ocean and beginning to wash the blood off of Howlite's skin.

"H-hey, what are you doing?" Howlite said, letting her wash the blood off of him, though he clearly wasn't happy about it.

"You reek like war, Howlite." Lapis rolled her eyes, and Howlite did the same.

"That's something you can't wash away, Lapis."

"So..." Lapis looked up at Howlite as she cleaned blood from his shirt.

"What happened with Bloodstone?"

Howlite looked away after hearing the question.

He shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry..." He wasn't sure why it was so hard to tell her.

"He got away..."

"..." Lapis looked down, and the water splashed to the ground.

"I'll kill him next time..." Howlite said, his hand clenching into fists.

Remaining silent, Lapis leaned back against the rock as she sat, looking to the shards in her hands once again.

Howlite sat next to her, looking down. "I tried, but Matrix stopped me..."

"Why did this have to happen, Howlite..?" Lapis said, looking up from the shards to Howlite.

Howlite remained silent for a moment.

"Because of me..."

"What do you mean?" Lapis arched a brow at him.

"If I hadn't came here, Bloodstone wouldn't have followed us here..." Howlite crossed his arms, looking away.

Lapis remained silent for awhile, and eventually Howlite began to stand.

"Uh... I'll get someone else better suited to talk about thi-" Howlite was cut off, Lapis grabbing him and pulling him into a hug, making him cringe.

"O-or I can stay, that works too." Howlite said, a light red appearing on his cheeks.

"It's not your fault Bloodstone showed up." Lapis said, smiling reassuringly. "He would have came here eventually anyway."

Lapis's smile widened. "But now we have you to help."

"Uh..." Howlite's blush remained. "Yeah, I guess..."

Lapis pulled back from the hug, and there they both sat, talking and venting about what had been happening.

"I just... I'm gonna miss her a lot... And I'm afraid we're going to lose more people to that bastard..." Lapis's hands clenched into fists, and she looked down.

"This is war..." Howlite said, his hands clenching into fists as well. "But we have something that can beat him now, so we have hope." Howlite forced a smile, and Lapis was slightly surprised.

"I... I just realized that I don't think I've ever seen you smile." She said, staring at his smile before it faded.

"Not like I have much to smile about." Howlite crossed his arms.

Lapis thought for a moment before grabbing Howlite by the hand, pulling him up from the ground.

"Come on." She said simply as she pulled Howlite from the beach.

"H-hey, I'm still soar you know!"

* * *

Lapis and Howlite stood on the ridge over looking Beach city, a tombstone before them.

The tombstone said nothing, but there seemed to be a shard of Jasper stuck in it.

The rest of Jasper was presumably buried, and a single white flower lay on the ground before the tombstone.

"Rest in peace, Jasper..." Howlite said, and once again Lapis was hugging him.

This time Howlite suppressed the cringe, wrapping an arm around her as he could feel her bury her face in his chest, and he could feel his shirt being soaked in tears.

"..." Howlite patted her back awkwardly, not sure what else to do.

"I don't want anyone else to die, Howlite..." Her hands clenched into fists on his shirt.

"No one ever does, Lapis..." Howlite said, pulling her close.

He wasn't sure why he was bothering with this, but the fact that he was was certainly starting to bother him.

They both looked to the grave one last time before walking away.

As they did, the small piece of paper on the flower was seen.

 ** _Rest In Peace, Jasper  
_**

 ** _From: Brat and Twiggy  
_**

* * *

Lapis stood at the door to her apartment, forcing a smile, trying not to look at the door directly from hers.

"You gonna be alright?" Howltie asked, arching a brow at her.

"Yeah..." Lapis began. "I'll be fine..." She reassured.

"Uh... Thanks." She smiled. "For being there, I mean..."

"No problem." Howlite smiled.

Howlite walked away as the door closed, when he noticed another door was open.

It was to Matrix's room, but Peridot stood in the door way, watching him with her arms crossed.

"What?" Howlite arched a brow at her.

"Welcome to ship city." She shrugged, turning and walking back into the room, closing the door behind her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Howlite wondered aloud as he walked from the small apartment complex.

 ** _Isn't it obvious?_**

 _Oh great, and here I thought I was done with you.  
_

 ** _Come on, you didn't think I'd leave my favorite body guard alone for too long, did you?  
_**

 _Then please, elaborate what is so obvious?  
_

 ** _You seriously don't know? Oh Howlite, you're so clueless sometimes that it's adorable.  
_**

Howlite found himself sitting in that dark room again, the caged beast sleeping before him.

He felt arms wrap around him, and quickly recognized them as Blue Diamond's.

"That feeling~ You're feeling it again~" She sang, and Howlite arched a brow at her.

"That just kind of happens when you get this close to me, Miss Diamond."

Blue Diamond giggled. "That's not what I meant, but thank you."

"Then what did you mean?"

"That disturbing, awkward, fluttery feeling in here." Blue Diamond poked Howlite in the chest.

"So Bloodstone's blood was a little poisonous, so what?"

"That's not what that is." Blue Diamond said, grinning as she leaned her head on Howlite's shoulder.

"Then what, prey tell, is it?" Howlite arched a brow at Blue Diamond.

"Howlite, don't you remember back in the Gem Wars?" Blue Diamond asked.

"I've blocked out a lot of things from the Gem Wars."

"I know you remember that hug I gave you~" Blue Diamond whispered in Howlite's ear, and Howlite's eyes widened.

"You had that feeling back then, and look where it got you~" Blue Diamond grinned, and Howlite felt something he hadn't felt in awhile.

Howlite was terrified.

"Get it now, Wolfy?"

"N-no, that can't be it." Howlite said, shaking his head. "I'm just sick is all."

"You're sick, alright. But that's not what this is." Blue Diamond's grin widened, and Howlite felt her tongue run up his neck, which made him cringe.

"Human emotion is torture, Howlite. You know that better than anyone." Blue Diamond grinned.

"Just something to think about."

And just like that, Howlite was back in reality, panting in terror on his hands and knees on the sand.

"I... I've got to get out of here..." Howlite stood, looking at the apartment building and the temple, shaking as he turned around, running from it as fast as he could.

Not again.

Never again.

* * *

Howlite wandered through the forest, stumbling occasionally.

He was still injured from his fight with Matrix and Bloodstone, and was exhausted.

He found himself collapsing against a tree.

And just like that, he was out cold.

* * *

"Ugh..." Howlite groaned, sitting up to find himself not where he was when he fell asleep.

He was laying on a couch, but not on the one that he had woken up last time he passed out.

"Oh, good. You're awake." A small child said from across the room.

"The hell are you?" Howlite asked, stretching.

"He's the one who got you out of the forest where you were passed out, so show some gratitude." Said the woman standing in the doorway of the room.

She had black hair, which curled down to her mid back. She wore jeans and a black hoodie, and looked to be in her early thirties.

"Oh I can tell that you are going to be a special kind of bitch." Howlite said, his eyes narrowed.

"Whatever, albino." She said, walking to the child and picking him up, setting him on her lap as she sat before Howlite.

"I'm not a damn albino!" Howlite snapped, before wincing, grabbing his abdomen.

"Careful, Mommy had to patch you up quite a bit." The child said, looking through his black hair at Howlite.

It was then that Howlite looked down, seeing the wraps around his chest and abdomen.

A bandage was on his face, and his right arm was in a splint. His head was wrapped with bandages, most likely from the head butt with Matrix earlier.

"So what kicked your ass?" The woman asked.

"A fright train of jack ass." Howlite rolled his eyes, struggling to his feet.

He stumbled slightly, and the woman rolled her eyes. "Use the crutch, stupid."

Howlite looked to his side, seeing a crutch sitting against the couch.

While grumbling angrily, he grabbed the crutch, limping towards the door.

"No wait!" The boy jumped from his mothers lap, running and latching onto Howlite's leg.

Howlite knew full well that a few months ago he would've killed the kid on the spot, but of course, he was different now.

"What is it, kid?" Howlite arched a brow at the child.

"My name is Tyler." The child smiled up at him. He looked to be about five years old. "What's yours?"

"Uh..." Howlite had to think for a moment. Should he use a human name? He wanted to, but he couldn't think of one.

 _You know what, f#ck it._

"My names Howlite." Howlite rolled his eyes.

"Cool name!" Tyler looked up at Howlite with star eyes, and Howlite arched a brow at him.

"Uh... K."

"You should stay here for the next few days to recover." His mother said, and Howlite shook his head.

"Nope, gettin' outta here." Howlite reached for the door nob, but that kid looked up at him with tear filled, puppy dog eyes.

"I... I guess I could stay for one more day." Howlite sighed.

 ** _Aw, you have a soft spot for kids._**

 _I will devour you.  
_

 ** _Kinky~_**

 _Groan...  
_

"Hey, you alright there albino?" His mother asked, arching a brow at Howlite. "You're kinda zoning out."

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Howlite sighed, rubbing his head. "And I'm not an albino!"

"Whatever you say." She shrugged, standing and walking out of the room.

"Come on, I'll show you where you'll be staying." She said, and Howlite limped after her.

"So Howlite, huh? Strange name." She said, and Howlite shrugged.

"Well I wish I could say something about your name, but I have no idea what it is." Howlite said as he crutched to keep up.

"April." She answered simply, and Howlite nodded.

"Now why don't you tell me..." In an instant, Howlite was pressed against the wall, April holding him by the collar of the shirt as she glared into his eyes.

"You're one of those Gem things, right?" She asked, and Howlite's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I don't know what your talking about. I'm just a pale person named after a gem." Howlite said sarcastically. "How'd you piece it together there, Sherlock?"

April rolled her eyes. "You guys have been on the news a lot lately." She said. "Beach City's been having some serious problems, and I've seen some pretty... Scary things because of you."

"Such as?"

There was a news report on you turning into that giant wolf looking thing back at the beach a month or two ago."

"Damn dirty media screwing up my image..." Howlite said sarcastically, and April growled at him.

"Do you take anything seriously?"

"If I get too serious I get a little..." Howlite thought for a moment. "Unstable."

"Well if you start to be a danger to my kid, I swear I'll crush that diamond in your chest without a problem. And the gem at the roof of your mouth too."

Howlite rolled his eyes. "Chill. I'm in no condition to start picking fights with some little human. I know how you work. If one of you gets hurt, I have to face the whole herd."

"Good." April let go of Howlite, who shrugged it off.

 **"So do I get a room or what?"**

* * *

 **So these next couple chapters or probably just this chapter and next chapter are going to be based on the adventures of Howlite.  
**

 **I hope this chapter answered your question, Lin?**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	33. Chapter 32: Episode of Howlite (Part 3)

**Thanks go to** **Hollyberry of Skyclan,** **Kagehime-sama53, Guest, The Imprisoned of Hell, kidscience22, Guest, Guest, Jak Fortune, and Guest.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"Okay, is everyone here?" Peridot said, Emerald standing next to her.

"Well, everyone but Matrix, Howlite, Steven, and Connie." Garnet crossed her arms.

"And Pearl isn't back from her gem yet, either." Amethyst said, looking at the gem in her hands.

"Well I don't think Steven should hear about this yet, and Matrix is a little..." Peridot sighed after trailing off.

"He's currently a little down on himself after our last crushing failure." Emerald finished, and Peridot shot a glare at him.

"What, you want me to lie? Bloodstone kicked. Our. Asses." Emerald looked to the ground.

"It's true..." Tiger looked down.

"We didn't stand a chance..." Amazonite said.

"Well it's gonna get worse, guys..." Emerald said, holding up his left hand, his gem in it glowing and showing a projection of three hand ships floating through space.

A black ship, a grey ship, and a white ship.

"Oh no..." Tiger said, her eyes wide in horror.

"A-are those..." Garnet trailed off.

"The Blood Armies, yes..." Peridot said, looking to the ground.

"Oh no..." Amethyst said, panic creeping into her voice.

"Oh hell no! We can't fight an army!" Tiger finished the panic, and Amethyst screamed with her.

"Oh this is so bad..." Amazonite said in a different voice, and she was clearly panicking.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine!" She said in another different voice.

"No we won't!"

In a flash of light, Feldspar and Flourite were on the ground, groaning.

"Amazonite!" Emerald exclaimed, and everyone looked at him, making him blush a light green.

"What?! Like none of you have been worried before?"

They all shrugged, agreeing before going back to panicking.

"All of you calm down!" Peridot yelled, and everyone turned to look at her.

"Why should we?" Amethyst said.

"They have an army, Peridot!" Amethyst yelled. "We have a rag tag team of gems, and they have an army and a gem with power on par with a god!"

"And what do we have?" Tiger questioned.

"Well..."

"I'll tell you what we have!" Feldspar said. "We've got two fusions, a tiger lady, a water witch, a runt, a Pearl, two nerds, a Lion, a little girl with a sword, a middle aged man who's basically just our driver, an incredibly thick skulled Gem with a spear, a carnivorous maniac, and Rose Quartz, the only one who could help us out of this, is stuck in the body a little human boy!"

"Feldspar, calm down..." Flourite said, pulling Feldspar into a hug.

Feldspar growled, shaking her head.

"And not to mention Matrix is down..." Emerald said, looking down.

"And Howlite's gone again..." Lapis said, looking down as well.

"Yep, that's about the size of it." Peridot groaned, running a hand through her hair.

* * *

Matrix stared at the ceiling of his apartment.

"No matter how hard I try it's always the same..." Matrix muttered, his hand clenching into a fist.

"There's always someone stronger..."

 _"You're going to die motionless and alone!"_

 _"Amusing in a pitiful way, that is."_

 _"Aw, no more fight left."_

 _"I'm going to put you down for good."_

"I just can't anymore..."

* * *

Howlite groaned, lifting a pile of shingles for the roof of the forest home.

He had been there for three days, and his arm had healed. He hadn't retreated to his gem for fear of releasing Blue Diamond, but Gems still healed normally much faster than humans.

"Who lives out in a forest anyway?" He grumbled to himself, hammering a shingle down.

"Hey, when you're done with that, I've got another chore for you." April said, standing at the bottom of the latter.

"Oh goody." Howlite rolled his eyes.

 _Maybe I should just devour these people... No, I'm still soar..._

"You and I are going into town to get groceries." She said, and Howlite arched a brow at her.

"The hell is a grocery?" Howlite asked, and she rolled her eyes.

"You're clueless."

* * *

"Can I come too?" Tyler asked his mother, who shook her head.

"You know I don't want you in the city. It's dangerous." April said, and Tyler sighed.

"You can't keep from the world forever..." He muttered.

The two walked from the door, Howlite using a stick he'd found to help himself walk.

"So what's with the sheltered kid? I mean, my childhood was spent in a bunch of rocks, so I guess I'd know about that kind of thing, but I don't think humans are supposed to grow up like that." Howlite arched a brow at April, who rolled her eyes.

"I don't need your parenting tips, Howlite." She said, and Howlite shrugged.

"Whatever."

"You'll see when we get into the city." April looked down.

"I just want to keep him safe..."

* * *

The two stood at the counter of a small grocery store, Howlite struggling to hold multiple bags of food and such.

The man behind the counter took the money that he was handed.

"I'll be taking that." The man that had been waiting in line behind them grinned, snatching the top two bags from the stack that Howlite was carrying.

"Thanks for paying, lady." He turned, walking away from the two. He had a symbol that resembled a blue dragon on his back.

"I thought you bought those for you and your child." Howlite arched a brow at April.

"That kind of stuff happens here a lot, Howlite... Lets just go."

Unfortunately, Howlite wasn't the best listener.

"Excuse me sir, but those were not for you." Howlite tapped on the mans shoulder, and he turned around, arching a brow at Howlite with a grin.

"Well they're mine now." He said, and Howlite tilted his head to the side.

"So that's how it works, then?" He proceeded to swipe the groceries back from the man. "Then now they're mine again."

As Howlite turned around to walk back to April, he heard the man pulling something from his side.

"Oh, so we've got some kind a hero here." The man grinned, aiming a pistol at Howlite's back.

"I'm no hero, human." Howlite said, looking over his shoulder at the man. He proceeded to hand April the groceries.

"Then why don't you give me back the groceries, and no one gets hurt?" The man grinned, and Howlite walked towards him with his hands in his pockets.

"H-hey, buddy, you don't wanna cross the Blue Dragons." He said, stepping back as Howlite loomed over him.

"Ah, so you're a hostile thief, then." Howlite said simply, staring down at the man.

"I warned you!"

A gun shot was heard, and April's eyes widened.

"That'll teach you to be a hero, prick." The man said, grinning as Howlite's head was thrown back.

"You really shouldn't have done that." Howlite's voice was muffled as he brought his head back up, showing that he had a bullet caught between his teeth.

"W-what the fu-" The man was cut off, Howlite's foot slamming into his chest and throwing him back through the slide open glass door of the grocery store.

"I broke your door." Howlite stated simply as he glanced at the man behind the counter, who cowered behind the counter in fear.

"Howlite, you idiot!" April said, and Howlite looked at her in surprise.

"What'd I do?" Howlite asked, and the man climbed to his feet, glaring at Howlite.

"Freak!" He yelled, and Howlite turned over his shoulder, grinning and showing sharp teeth.

"What was that?"

"Y-you're gonna regret this!" He turned, running away.

"No one crosses the Blue Dragons!"

* * *

"You really shouldn't have done that, Howlite..." April said as they walked down the street, and Howlite arched a brow at her.

"What? He tried to steal what you payed for, and I got it back. He tried to hurt me, and I defended myself. He called me a mean name, I scared him off."

"The Blue Dragons are a gang that run this city, Howlite..." April said, shaking her head.

"If you cross them, they'll..." She trailed off, and Howlite arched a brow at her.

"No human's gonna kill me, April."

"You haven't seen what they've done to people!" April suddenly snapped. "What happened to the last person that stood up to them..."

"Something tells me you knew the last person that stood up to them, April." Howlite said, and April sighed.

"There's a reason Tyler doesn't have a father, Howlite..."

* * *

"You're back!" Tyler ran up to Howlite and April, hugging April's leg as Howlite set the groceries down.

"Yep, everything went swimmingly." Howlite rolled his eyes, sitting down on the couch and grabbing the switcher, pressing the on button and turning the TV on.

He found that watching this television was the best way to kill time as a human.

April sighed, shaking her head.

 _If they find out where we live..._

* * *

Doors to the abandoned warehouse flung open, and the man from earlier panted as he stumbled in, his jacket torn from the pile of garbage that he was violently kicked into.

"And what do you want?" The man sitting in the largest chair in the center of the room arched a brow at the man, who fell to his knees before the man.

The man in the chair was large, looking to be rather muscular.

He wore the same jacket with the blue dragon on it, but it was missing its sleeves.

The warehouse was full of generic, copy pasted gang characters with that same symbol on them.

"B-boss, there was this crazy albino freak, right? Well, I was just tryin' to get those groceries like you told me to, but this guy stops me, right?" He began to tell, and the man in the chair rolled his eyes.

"Get to the point."

"Well you know me, I'm all like Ay yo, you better stop trying to be a hero before I pop you one, but he didn't back down!"

"So you shot him, then?"

"Well I tried but the psycho caught it in his teeth!"

"..." The Boss thought for a moment.

"Well. isn't that scary."

He stood from his chair, arching a brow at the man before him.

"Who'd you try to steal these groceries from?"

"The wife of the last hero we ran into." The man said, and the Boss grinned.

"I do hate to destroy a family... But freak killing is something I'm up for."

* * *

Night had fallen on the forest home, and Tyler was being tucked into bed.

"Tell me a story." He pleaded, but April shook her head.

"I've told you all my stories." She said, and Tyler looked to Howlite.

"Uh..." Howlite arched a brow at the kid.

"You've got to have a story, right Mr. Howlite?" He asked, and Howlite sighed.

"I've had two too many Episode's of Howlite to tell my story again." Howlite muttered, but the look in Tyler's eyes made him sigh.

"Fine."

"Just make sure it's nothing weird, alright?" April said as she walked out of the room.

"No promises." Howlite said as he sat at the foot of the bed.

"Okay, so long ago, on a planet far far away," Howlite began, and the boy arched a brow at him.

"I've seen Star Wars, Mr. Howlite."

"The hell's a Star Wars?"

Tyler giggled, snuggling up against Howlite, who cringed.

"Okay, so there was..." Howlite thought for a moment, thinking of ways to make this story a bit more child friendly.

"A man was brought into the world. A man made of magic."

"Magic?"

"Save all questions for the end of the story, please."

Howlite sat against the headboard of the bed, Tyler leaning against him.

"He was born from stone, and never really knew what he was..." Howlite trailed off for a moment. "He was told by a legion of other magic space rocks that he was made to protect one of the three Diamond Queens."

 **So I'm a queen?**

 _Blue Diamond, so help me god, in a box, down the river.  
_

"And the man did as he was told, living for hundreds of years without a friend. With only his loyalty to this Blue Queen..." Howlite looked down.

"He was forced to do despicable things. He trapped an innocent woman in a mirror, forcing her to do whatever anyone told her. He was forced to kill many, and became a monster again and again..."

"But one day, the Blue Queen ran, and the man didn't know what to do..." Howlite ran a hand through his hair. "The Blue Queen was his life..."

"He was sent to retrieve his Queen, but he saw her for what she really was... She was the one who had made him, she was the one who had molded him into a monster, and as he tried to get his revenge, she forced him to bend to her will once again..."

"So he ran, and he ran as fast as he could..." Howlite sighed. "But he could never escape the Blue Queen... She lived in his heart, and it hurt him to know that she was a monster..."

"Did he love the Blue Queen?"

"I... I don't know, kid."

"But anyway, a year passed, and the man was given a partner to destroy with by the Yellow Queen..."

"He hated his partner at first, irritated by the kind of person he was. But eventually, his bitter and psychotic partner grew on him, and he had a new link to sanity."

"He had a friend?"

"Eh, more of an acquaintance."

Eventually, he was told to go to a far away planet with his partner to help other magic rocks, and when they got there, they were faced with a new power. A rock who had went against the tide and fought against the ones who ruled them."

"A hero?"

"An A hole."

Tyler giggled again.

"They fought this man, and the mans partner was killed..."

Tyler gasped.

"How- The man, I mean, refused to show it, but it had nearly killed him... It seemed as though the world was against him."

"He was stranded on this planet, and had to call the Blue Queen, as he knew only she could save him..."

"Why would he do that?"

"Probably because he still couldn't let go..."

"The Blue Queen arrived, and he went with her. She turned him into a monster once again, but this time, he turned on her after they went back to that planet, because the man just couldn't seem to stay away from it... Like most things in his life, he just couldn't let go."

"He killed the Queen, but when he did, she put a curse on him... He was forced to walk the world with her haunting him for his life..."

Howlite sighed, looking to continue with some generic happy ending, but he heard snoring.

He looked to see the child sleeping happily against him.

Howlite sighed, smiling lightly as he re-tucked Tyler into his bed, walking to the door way, turning off the light as he slowly closed the door.

He walked down the hallway, and found that April was standing against the wall.

"That man, he was you, wasn't he?" She asked, and Howlite stood silent for a moment.

And then he continued walking down the hallway, his hands clenched into fists.

* * *

Howlite passed around his room, looking to be nervous as he thought.

"This disgusting Earth Loving disease..." Howlite said, looking at his hand as claws formed on it.

"And I thought you didn't feel anything anymore." Howlite looked to the mirror, and his eyes widened in horror.

In place of his reflection stood Blue Diamond, arms crossed as she grinned at him.

"Y-you aren't supposed to be..." Howlite backed up into the wall.

"You're really starting to lose it, huh?"

"Shut up!" Howlite yelled at the mirror. "I'm fine!"

"You're yelling at a mirror." Blue Diamond said. "One that you don't even see yourself in."

Blue Diamond phased from the wall behind Howlite, wrapping her arms around him as she placed her head against his shoulder.

"But maybe that's just because you know you aren't yourself anymore, Howlite~"

"S-stop..." Howlite muttered, his hands clenching into fists.

"You can't stand to look at me anymore, can you?" Blue Diamond asked, and Howlite growled.

"You can't stand to look at yourself anymore~"

"YOU AREN'T ME!"

Howlite turned around, and Blue Diamond was gone.

"Sure I am." Blue Diamond shrugged from the mirror.

"I'm everything that you lived for, I'm everything that you wanted to protect, I am your guilt, and I'm a monster just like you." Blue Diamond's grin widened across her face.

"And look, you've even got my gem in your chest, how strange." Blue Diamond's laughter rang through Howlite's mind, and he grabbed his head, eyes wide as his sweat dropped to the floor.

"I'll ask you again to give in to your monster Howlite~ Give in to me~"

The mirror shattered as Howlite's fist slammed into it, Howlite grinning as his teeth grew sharp.

"Don't speak to me..." Howlite panted, his eyes wide as a grin was clear across his face.

He suddenly heard something, and the door nob to his room began to turn.

He would have thought that it was just April, but something was screaming danger.

Three men wearing the Blue Dragon symbol entered the room after the door opened, but Howlite was no where to be found.

"Where'd the freak go?" One said.

"I really don't like that word."

They all turned to see Howlite jump from the ceiling, landing on the one in the middle and grabbing the other two with clawed hands.

In an instant, their wind pipes were crushed, and the man below him was struggling under Howlite.

Howlite's metal maw appeared, and he grinned as he leaned down towards the man, who screamed in horror.

* * *

"I'm telling you, we should have sent more people than three inside..." The man from earlier said, and the Boss rolled his eyes.

"Let us go!" April said, and the man behind her smacked her upside the head.

"Shut up." The Boss ordered, grinning as he looked at the small child who was on the ground with a gun to his head.

They all stood outside the house, and they all watched with anticipation as the door creaked open.

Howlite walked slowly from the dark house, blood dripping from his grinning maw.

The man from earlier's eyes widened in horror, and the Boss's eyebrows raised.

"That's the guy, huh?" He arched a brow at the man, who nodded quickly.

"Looks like he got punched in the mouth." One of the men grinned, and Howlite's grin widened.

"Close." He said, tossing the body of the third man from a moment ago in front of them.

All or their eyes widened, a few of them hunching over and vomiting.

His throat was missing.

"Light him up!" The Boss ordered, and they all aimed their guns at him.

In the flurry of fire, April swept the feet out of the man behind her, grabbing his gun and shooting the man holding Tyler.

Tyler ran to her, and they both looked in horror to see Howlite's body being thrown back and forth by the bullets.

The firing stopped, and just as they thought they had killed Howlite, that grin spread across his face, and blood ran down from all of the holes in his body.

"April, take the kid in the house." He said simply.

"But-"

"NOW!"

April grabbed Tyler, running into the house and closing the door.

Howlite stood in front of the door, staring at the gang members.

"Your problem is with me, not them." Howlite said as he walked towards them.

"So please tell me why you would want to hurt a family that you have already damaged so?" Howlite tilted his head to the side, his hair covering his eyes.

"You mess with the Blue Dragons, you and everyone you love is gonna get got!" The man from earlier said, and Howlite's grin returned.

In an instant, Howlite had the man by the throat, and he kicked and gagged as he could feel Howlite's grip tightening.

"You are pathetic, cowardly scum. No one loves you, and no one will be there to identify your mutilated body after I am done mangling you like the trash that you are. You are worthless in every sense."

Howlite pulled back one hand, tearing into the mans chest as he tried to scream.

Howlite threw the man to the ground before him, and in a flash of light, he stood over him as a wolf.

 _I swore I'd never feed again but..._

He tore the man apart, feeding on his flesh as the gang members watched in horror.

 _I'm just so hungry!_

"Kill that freak!" The boss ordered, and they all lite him up once again.

The bullets bounced off of Howlite as he sauntered towards them on four legs, his white fur tainted with the blood of a coward.

A clicking was heard, and they all threw there guns to the side, pulling out random blunt objects and knives.

"Call me a freak one more time."

The Boss glared at Howlite.

"Freak."

Howlite shot forward like a bolt of lightning, slamming into gang member after gang member, slicing them apart with his claws and feasting on them with his sharp teeth.

April watched in horror from the window, and Tyler was being kept down away from it.

A laughter was heard as Howlite slowly began to shrink down, reforming. All of the bullet wounds had healed, but he was still stained with his enemies blood.

"You killed April's husband." He said as he walked towards the boss, who backed up slowly. "You turned a town into your play ground. You made many live in fear of your misfit army."

"S-stay the hell away from me, you freak!"

"You're really bad at picking up on what people's triggers are, huh?" Howlite arched a brow at the man as he walked towards him, hands in his pockets.

"I'm not surprised. You clearly aren't all that smart." Howlite suddenly had the man by the collar of his shirt.

"Now you are going to go and tell whatever is left of your gang that this city is _mine_ now, got it?" Howlite asked, and the boss nodded quickly.

"Y-yeah man, whatever you want! Just let me go! Please!" He said, staring at Howlite with tears in his eyes.

"Good." Howlite smiled, dropping him. "And if you even think about doing something stupid, remember that what I just did here is not even an eight of my power."

The boss nodded quickly.

"Now turn around. And run. Away."

The boss ran as fast as he could back to the city, and Howlite turned back around to look at the house.

Through the window, staring at him in horror, were April and Tyler.

His grin faded, and he didn't even bother to walk back into the house.

He turned around, walking away from the house.

It was the closest thing he'd had to a home.

And for that reason he had to leave.

 ** _Am I... A freak?  
_**

* * *

 **So now that my hype is back with a vengeance, the updates will come a lot faster than usual. If I got more reviews per day, then I'd probalby have them coming out every day again by now. Honestly, I'm already half way through typing next chapter.  
**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	34. Chapter 33: Out Of The Frying Pan

**Thanks go to Guest, Guest, Kagehime-sama53, Guest, Hessonite,** **ChaosMageX, Guest, kidscience22, Guest, Randal435, Guest,** **Lunadoge121, ShadowFighter2, Guest, Guest, and S U fan.**

 **Fun Fact: The theme for the Invasion (Part 1) Ark is Lose My Life By Paper Cut Massacre**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"So..." Emerald arched a brow at Pearl's gem.

"Still no sign of Pearl?" He asked, and Amethyst shook her head.

"She usually takes a long time to get back but this... I think that last defeat really did a number on her..." Amethyst said.

As if on cue, Pearl's gem began to glow, lifting from Amethyst's hands.

In a few moments, Pearl fell to her feet, stumbling slightly.

"Pearl!" Amethyst exclaimed.

Pearl looked up, revealing the white blind fold covering her eyes. "Amethyst? Is that you?"

"Of course it's me!" Amethyst suddenly grabbed Pearl, pulling her into a hug.

"What's with the blind fold?" Emerald arched a brow at Pearl.

"Well, Hematite was right... My sight is holding me back from being a great sword fighter. If I'm going to keep up with the rest of you, I have to do everything in my power to get stronger!"

"Then why just a blind fold?" Emerald asked. "Couldn't you have just regenerated without corneas?"

"Well, I want to learn to fight without seeing, but I also want to watch Steven grow up." Pearl said. "But until I can fight without my sight, I'll be fully immersed in darkness."

"Pearl's back! Pearl's back!" Steven ran in through the door, grabbing Pearl and puling her into a hug.

Amethyst hugged Pearl as well, and they all looked to Emerald, who shook his head, walking out the door as fast as he could.

* * *

All of the Gems, save for Matrix and Howlite, were assembled in Steven's home once again.

"Okay, so we need to start taking action." Peridot said.

"We've got roughly three days until the blood armies are here." Emerald added.

"So someone needs to go find Howlite, and someone needs to go get Matrix out of his slump." Peridot said, looking at her finger screen.

"And I think it should be Ste-" She looked up to see everyone in the room touching their finger to their nose, as if to say 'not it'.

"Space God damn it!" She said angrily, turning around and walking out the door, slamming it behind her.

"Okay, so what about Howlite?" Pearl asked.

"Yeah, we have no idea where he is." Connie said.

Before anything could be said, Garnet looked as though she'd seen something, and grabbed the remote, turning the TV on and turning it to a news report.

"This is Empire City News covering the massacre of the Blue Dragon gang that has been running the city for about two years now."

"It... It was some kind wolf man!" The Boss said, standing in a prison cell as he was being interviewed.

"It was like some kind of demon! I've never seen anything like it!"

"There you have it, a drug addict clearly to blazed to know what really hit him." The news reporter said.

"A wolf demon, huh?" Emerald crossed his arms. "Gee, I wonder who that could be."

"He should be in the forest outside of Empire City right now." Garnet said.

"So who's gonna go get him?" Steven asked.

The room was quickly filled with words like 'Not it' and 'Well I've got some other stuff that I need to do...'

"Oh come on, Howlite's not that bad, is he?" Lapis asked.

Everyone kind of just shrugged in response.

Lapis groaned. "Fine, I'll go get him." She rolled her eyes as she turned around, walking back towards the door.

"Ship city bitch ship ship city bitch..." Emerald said under his breath as the door closed behind Lapis, her wings appearing as she took flight.

"Okay guys real talk," Tiger spoke. "We all really need to stop breaking the forth wall."

* * *

"This so called 'Wolf Man' has been sighted at Blue Dragon Warehouses all over the city." The news reporter said.

"It's too early to tell whether this is some sort of vigilante or the work of some other creature that wants our city."

Matrix groaned, turning away from the TV.

"Damn it Howlite..."

He heard a knock on his door, and sighed, pretending to be asleep.

Maybe then whoever it was would leave him alone.

"Matrix, I know you're in there." Peridot's voice was heard, and Matrix groaned.

He rolled from the bed, walking to the door and turning the nob, opening it to see Peridot standing in the door way.

"Depression time is over, Matrix." Peridot crossed her arms.

"Oh goody, a pep talk." Matrix let Peridot inside, closing the door behind her as he walked to the couch, sitting down on it and picking up the switcher, flipping through channels.

"No that's always been your forte." Peridot stood between Matrix and the TV, and he rolled his eyes.

"Being a lucky liar is surprisingly easy." Matrix shrugged, attempting to look through Peridot to see the TV.

"Well aren't you in a pleasant mood." Peridot said, and Matrix shrugged.

"Look, I don't know what happened to you, but you need to snap out of it!" Peridot suddenly said, grabbing Matrix by the collar of his shirt.

"Reality finally hit, Peridot." Matrix said, staring back into her eyes coldly.

"What do you mean?" Peridot arched a brow at Matrix. "The only reality of this situation is that there are literal armies coming to earth, and we need your help to stop them!"

"It's pointless..." Matrix said, looking to the ground. "There's always gonna be someone stronger..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Open your eyes, Peridot!" Matrix suddenly snapped, making Peridot's eyes widen.

"Eclipse, Lignite, Blue Diamond, and now Bloodstone!" Matrix said, making Peridot drop him.

"No matter how strong I get, someone else comes along with ten times the power of the last guy!" Matrix said, standing now, looming over Peridot.

"I'm never strong enough! I'm always somebodies punching bag!" Matrix said. "I'm always getting the short end of the stick, I'm always the one getting beaten down, and no matter how many times I get back up, I end up in the dirt again and again and I just can't do it anymore!"

Peridot was shocked into silence. "Matrix, I never thought you of all people would let this affect you..."

"Its always affected me! I can't protect this planet!" Matrix said, a familiar instability creeping into his voice.

"I can't protect Steven, I can't protect Tiger, and I can't protect..." Matrix trailed off, turning around quickly.

"What makes you so sure?" Peridot asked, raising her voice because Matrix had rose his.

"Nothing ever changes, Peridot..." Matrix's hands clenched into fists.

"I couldn't protect Thea... I can't protect any of you..." Matrix stood at the window.

"And I can't pretend that I can anymore..."

Matrix remained silent, as did Peridot. She had seen Matrix a little messed up, but never anything like this. She'd never seen him break down and never seen him be so hopeless.

Steven and Connie had, but she hadn't...

In an instant, Matrix' eyes were wide in shock, Peridot suddenly grabbing him and pulling him into a hug from behind.

Neither of them said anything, but Matrix smiled lightly.

"Well if you can't protect us, then at least die with us." Peridot half smiled half smirked, and Matrix returned the smile-smirk.

"You've got yourself a deal."

They realized they were still hugging, Matrix having turned around to face Peridot, but neither of them seemed to mind.

Peridot couldn't help but smile lightly. "There's the Matrix I know and-..." She cut herself off, eyes widening.

Matrix's eyes widened, and he gave a mocking grin. "Know and..?"

"It's an expression!" Peridot snapped, her face beat red, making Matrix laugh.

As things got awkwardly silent once again, the door creaked, the hinges breaking as it fell to the ground, all of the Gems who hadn't been sent to do something leaning against it with their ears.

Matrix and Peridot's faces contorted with rage almost immediately, their faces turning red in embarrassment.

"Uh..." Steven looked up at them in horror.

"Nope, Howlite's not in here!" Emerald saved, jumping to his feet and running, everyone running after him.

"Hey! Get back here!" Matrix and Peridot yelled, running after them.

* * *

Howlite wandered through Empire Forest, blood staining his white skin and hair.

he couldn't stand the smell of it anymore... It made him too hungry.

He stepped into a small stream that ran through the forest, feeling the water wash the blood from his skin.

The blue water was tainted with red, and Howlite sighed, glad to see the temptation was gone.

As he stood motionless in the water, contemplating the trauma's of the past few days, He heard something close to flapping.

"So, this is where you went."

Howlite didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

Great.

Just the person he'd been avoiding.

He had almost forgotten about what had happened with Lapis the night before he left, but upon hearing her voice, everything came back to him.

"So you're a vigilante now, huh?" Lapis said as Howlite stepped from the water.

"I'm no vigilante, those jack asses just crossed me." Howlite said, crossing his arms.

"I know you care about the planet." Lapis smirked lightly, playfully shoving Howlite.

"I don't." He said stubbornly.

"Be as stubborn as you want, but we need you back at the city." Lapis said, reaching a hand out to Howlite for him to take so that they could fly back to the city.

Howlite stepped back from her hand as if he was afraid of it.

"I already told you I'm not joining your gang of rebels." Howlite said coldly.

"W-well you know you don't have to, but we still want you back at the city..." Lapis said, slightly surprised by Howlite's coldness.

"I'm not going back to that god forsaken city, either." Howlite turned his back to her, crossing his arms.

"But..." Lapis was surprised by his change of attitude. When she'd last saw him, he was so kind...

"But what?" Howlite said, glancing over his shoulder at her. "I hate your city and all of you Gems."

"All of us?!" Lapis said in surprise. She told herself it was because Howlite seemed to be friends with Emerald.

"Emerald is the only one of you that I can even tolerate, and even he gets irritating!" Howlite said.

"Even Steven?" Lapis said. "Even me?"

Howlite remained silent, keeping his stance at snobby. He couldn't choke out any words.

"... You know, when you attacked Bloodstone for Jasper, that meant a lot to me!" Lapis said, and Howlite's eyes widened, though she didn't see it.

"The night before you left, you made me believe that you were a good person!" Lapis said, and Howlite winced, as if her words pained him.

"I was sure that you were just as good as any of us! That you were just misunderstood and that you could change! You were really nice to me before you left! You were injured, and instead of getting healed, you made sure that I was okay!" Lapis's words were cutting into Howlite.

"I was so sure that you were a good person, but maybe I was wrong!" Lapis said, her wings appearing.

"So if you wanna be a coward, then fine!" Lapis took flight.

"We don't need you!"

Howlite was wincing as she left. He turned around to face her, but her back was to him as she flew away, and when he tried to call out to stop her, his words caught in his throat again.

What was this awful feeling washing over him? Guilt?

Howlite sighed. "Space god damn it..." His hands clenched into fists, and he turned, walking in another direction.

* * *

"The armies will be meeting Bloodstone at this location." Peridot pointed to a location on her finger screen.

"Emerald and I have developed an EMP that should be able to shut down the ships before they touch down, making them crash and destroying a large amount of the army." Peridot explained.

"It is crucial that we set this off as they are coming through the atmosphere." Emerald said. "That means if Bloodstone gets in our way, you fight till your gem is dust to keep him down while we try to set off the EMP." Emerald explained.

"And if we don't?" Steven asked.

"Then we'll be right there when the army comes down." Peridot looked down.

"So it's a suicide mission, then?" Matrix crossed his arms.

"Basically." Emerald said.

"Good." Matrix smirked. "Just our forte."

"So everyone ready?" Garnet looked to the room.

Everyone's weapons appeared, Steven and Connie fusing as Stevonnie drew her sword.

It had been a few days, and Pearl had been training without using her eyes.

It was difficult at first, but she got the hang of it quickly.

"Good." Garnet smirked. "Lets go."

* * *

"I'm telling you Zeolite, you shouldn't do this." Hematite warned as they stood at the end of a long hallway in the large gem building.

They were set up in an ancient gem utopia, a gigantic city located in the Bermuda Triangle.

"Bloodstone said if I could do this then he'd finally accept me as a Reaper!" Zeolite said.

"Why do you care so much about what Bloodstone thinks of you?" Hematite asked.

"You don't get it! I've always looked up to Bloodstone... He's so much stronger than me in so many ways, and I just want to be more like him! I want him to accept me..."

"I don't think he ever will, Zeolite." Hematite looked down.

"After I defeat all the Gems on my own, I know he will!" Zeolite smirked.

"Please, Zeolite, don't do this, you'll get hurt and killed if you try to challenge them all on your own!"

"There's no need to worry, Hematite." Zeolite's claws appeared as they watched the warp pad activate in the distance.

"Now I'm determined."

* * *

"What is this place?" Stevonnie asked as she looked around from her place on top of Lion.

"This is the ancient Gem Utopia." Garnet explained as she glanced around.

Green spires reached high into the sky, some of the tops of them broken off as plant life formed over them, obscuring their beauty from the world.

"Figures that he'd pick a place like this." Matrix said.

"Be on the look out for any one of the Reapers." Peridot said, keeping her eyes peeled, everyone else doing the same.

As if on cue, they all looked ahead to see Zeolite shooting across the street down towards them, roaring as he pulled back his claws.

"What an idiot." Matrix said simply as he shot forward, stabbing at Zeolite, who jumped to she side, before he was suddenly thrown to the ground, a green blast slamming into his side.

He looked up just in time for Pearl's blade to go through his forehead, making him explode into his gem.

"Well that was anticlimactic." Matrix quoted, holding his spear in the air above Zeolite's gem.

Just as he brought it down though, it was blocked by two blades, and Matrix saw Hematite below him, holding Zeolite's gem in one hand and holding his other blade in his mouth, blocking Matrix's spear.

"Idiot..." Hematite said through the blade, jumping back and suddenly disappearing.

"Well..." Emerald said.

"That happened."

* * *

Zeolite burst to life to hear laughter.

"U-uh sir, what's so funny..?" Zeolite asked.

Bloodstone wiped a tear from his eye. "I can't believe you actually tried it! What an idiot you are!"

Zeolite seemed to shrink under Bloodstone's words, and Hematite winced.

Zeolite's hands clenched into fists as a realization was made.

Hematite looked down. "Sir, perhaps we should focus on the fact that the entire group is here, more than likely with a plan."

"Yes, of course." Bloodstone's laughter died down.

 **"I believe the time is right for the real fight to begin."  
**

* * *

 **Okay, so I know that this chapter was short as funk debunk, and I know I say really weird sh!t, but I wanted to have the big fight next chapter.  
**

 **That chapter may or may not include:**

 **Nah just kidding, I'm not giving any spoilers.**

 **Please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	35. Chapter 34: And Into The Flame

**Thanks go to** **Kagehime-sama53, Guest, Guest, Guest,** **Blue topaz the 5th,** **joshuarc2rox, Guest,** **ArcticFox319,** **Hollyberry of Skyclan, Guest, and Guest.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"So she's returned for round two, has she..?" Hematite stared at the camera footage, which showed the Gems running down the hallways.

"Sir, I believe I am being challenged." hematite looked at Bloodstone, who rolled his eyes.

"Go ahead." He said, and Hematite nodded, jumping away and out of the room.

* * *

The crystal gems moved quickly through the halls of the largest Gem Spire, looking to set off the EMP from the top of it.

As they shot down the hallways, Pearl's ears twitched, and her blade appeared in her hands as she suddenly blocked two blades with it, wincing as she skidded backwards.

"Pearl!" Stevonnie looked back, but Pearl shook her head, staring down Hematite.

"You guys go on ahead." She smirked, jumping back as did Hematite. "I can take Hematite."

Stevonnie was about to object, when Garnet placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her head.

"We need to get to the top of the spire as fast as possible, which means we don't have time to risk too many people getting injured fighting Hematite."

Stevonnie looked down, but nodded, and as they continued to run ahead, she glanced back at Pearl and Hematite, who circled one another.

* * *

Bloodstone sat on what looked like an old yellow throne, staring at a bubble in his hands.

It appeared to have a shard of Pyrite in it, and Bloodstone looked at it with a mixture of affection and contempt. With some regret mixed in...

The door to the room suddenly burst open, making Bloodstone jump as the bubble disappeared.

Zeolite seemed to have been guarding the door, and was obviously over powered and thrown through it.

"Ugh..." Zeolite groaned.

Bloodstone laughed, jumping from his throne and landing in front of Zeolite.

"You know, while I enjoy watching you getting smacked around, I'm getting rather tired of your constant failures." Bloodstone glared down at Zeolite.

"Sir, you gave me an impossible task!" Bloodstone was slightly surprised by Zeolite's change in tone as he climbed to his feet.

"You know they're much stronger than me, and you still pitted me against them all alone!" Zeolite seemed to have reached the breaking point, and the Crystal Gems watched in surprise.

"Are you talking back to me, runt?" Bloodstone asked, his hands clenching into fists.

Zeolite seemed to hesitate, before shaking his head. "Yeah, I am!" He said. "All I ever do is try to get you to respect me, and all you do is treat me like a liability!"

In an instant, Bloodstone's knee had rammed deep into Zeolite's abdomen, making him cough blood.

Zeolite was grabbed by the hair, being pulled up to eye level with Bloodstone, his face being slammed with multiple punches before he was thrown into the air, coming down to he hit in the chest with Bloodstone's leg in mid air, smashing through the floor!

"How pathetic." Bloodstone stepped over the crater, crossing his arms as he looked at the rest of them, who all clearly felt pity for the Gem in the crater behind Bloodstone.

Pity changed to shock rather quickly as they watched Zeolite shoot from the crater behind Bloodstone, his claw appearing as he roared, ramming it through Bloodstone's back and making it come out of his chest!

Bloodstone's eyes widened, and he turned around slowly over his shoulder to glare at Zeolite, who grinned up at him.

Bloodstone's scythe appeared in an instant, and without batting an eye, his scythe slashed down, cutting through Zeolite and making him explode back to his gem!

Bloodstone held a foot over the gem in the dirt, when something rammed into his side, and he was thrown across the room.

"No one else is going to die." Lapis cracked her knuckles, picking up Zeolite's gem.

"With the exception of you, that is."

* * *

Metallic clangs ran through the second to top level of the spire, Pearl and Hematite colliding again and again.

"So I'm guessing you took my advice?" Hematite smirked as their blades pushed against one another.

"I must say, it was quality advice." Pearl smirked lightly in return as they jumped back away from one another, readying their blades once again.

They shot at one another once more, shooting across the room at speeds that your average human couldn't see, clangs of metal being heard across the room as they did so, walls being slashed and floors being stabbed.

* * *

Bloodstone grinned as he climbed to his feet, spinning his scythe as he stared the Gems down.

In an instant, he stood behind Lapis, pulling his scythe into the air and preparing to swing down.

"You'll die first!"

Once again, Bloodstone was thrown across the room, Matrix ramming his foot into his chest.

Matrix landed on his feet as Tiger shot from the air above Bloodstone, slamming her claw into his chest and smashing him into the ground, back flipping away and landing next to Matrix, rushing with him at Bloodstone as he stood.

Bloodstone dodged Matrix's spear, moving his head just in time to not get clawed before jumping back and back flipping once as the two continued their sibling onslaught.

He held up one palm as they shot at him, the symbol firing at them.

They both jumped to opposite sides, converging on Bloodstone's position, Tiger clawing at his face.

Bloodstone ducked into Matrix's knee, and when he reeled back, he took Tiger's elbow to the chest, making him skid back.

Matrix jumped into the air, throwing his spear down at Bloodstone, who dodged to the side, stumbling slightly and taking a kick from tiger that sent him back across the room.

Matrix slammed into him from the sky with both feet, sending him smashing through the floor.

In an instant, Bloodstone shot from the floor behind Matrix, catching the Tiger's Eye Gem on his scythe blade by the side and throwing him into Tiger.

The two were sent skidding back across the floor as Bloodstone ducked under Garnet's fist.

As he did, he pulled back one fist to slam into her chest, but it was caught by a whip, and when he tried to pull Amethyst into the air, something that would be easily done, he found a surprising amount of resistance.

He looked to see Stevonnie, Amethyst, Emerald, and Amazonite holding onto Amethyst's whip.

He growled before being pulled back through the air, Garnet appearing above him and slamming a fist into his chest, sending him into the floor.

As he smashed into the ground, he bounced once, and a green blast threw him across the room, where Emerald came down, slashing across his chest.

Bloodstone slowly stood, spitting blood to the side. His back was against a wall, and the Crystal Gems had surrounded him.

He grinned.

"Well, that was a fun warm up." Bloodstone's cloak dropped to the ground, crashing and revealing that it was weighted.

Heavily weighted.

All of the gems gulped before Bloodstone suddenly disappeared.

He appeared before Lapis, slamming a palm into her abdomen, making her cough blood before sending her flying across the room and through the wall, falling from the building!

He jumped, disappearing again.

he appeared above Matrix and Tiger, pulling back a glowing black hand as he prepared to obliterate them.

With perfect timing, Stevonnie jumped in front of them, her shield appearing as she blocked the wave of power.

Matrix and Tiger helped hold up the shield, the ground under them cracking.

Stevonnie's bubble appeared as the shield began to crack, and Tiger and Matrix looked at one another.

"We can't pull anymore punches." Matrix said, his eyes narrowing.

Stars appeared in Tiger's eyes.

"You don't mean-"

"Oh I mean."

Bloodstone grinned as the shield disappeared, the bubble cracking.

Just as it shattered, however, an orange flash was seen, and Stevonnie was dropped at the other side of the room, panting for energy.

Blocking that attack had clearly taken a lot out of her.

"How the hell-" Bloodstone was cut off, a sharp pain being felt.

he looked down to see an arrow going through his chest.

he snarled, turning around to look at the fusion standing below him, holding an orange bow with the string pulled back.

She stood with white hair going down to her mid back, having only two arms and two eyes.

She wore clothes that almost resembled some sort of ancient native, made from what could only have been tiger pelt.

Her two eyes were the two gems of the Tiger's Eye Twins.

She had tan skin, her hair covering her forehead.

"You two really kept me waiting." Cat's Eye smirked.

It had been all too long.

* * *

Pearl and Hematite both looked from their fighting towards the upper level.

"What is that?" Hematite arched a brow at Pearl, even though neither of them could see it.

"It feels like..." Pearl smirked.

"Cat's Eye."

* * *

Howlite jumped from tree to tree, but his eyes suddenly widened, and he came to a stop, looking in the direction of the Gem Utopia.

"The hell is that?"

* * *

"Ah, a new challenger has appeared." Bloodstone smirked, floating down to the ground and yanking the arrow from his chest.

"You know I believe a fusion on your team already uses a bow." Bloodstone's scythe appeared in hand as he spoke.

"I've got a bit more than a bow." Cat's Eye smirked, her bow splitting into two hatchets with a bit of glowing.

Bloodstone grinned. "Ah yes, you two were part of the Arsenal Series."

"Ah ah, this one." Cat's Eye corrected.

Bloodstone groaned. "What a lame fusion line." He said as he shot forward, pulling back his scythe.

Cat's Eye shot forward as well, hatchet colliding with scythe before she pulled back her free hatchet, swinging at Bloodstone, who ducked around it, slamming his elbow into her chest and sending her skidding back as he jumped above her, pulling his scythe into the air.

Cat's Eye shot forward, hatchet forming spear as she rammed it into Bloodstone's chest, piercing through the hole that Zeolite had made earlier.

She spun, slamming one leg into the side of Bloodstone's head.

Bloodstone's head was forced the side, but he refused to move, pulling back one fist and slamming it into her chest, making her hunch over as he held his open palm over her head.

A hatchet to the chest stopped his charging blast, and Cat's Eye kicked off of him, skidding on the ground before her bow appeared, and she fired multiple arrows at Bloodstone, who was pelted with them, trying to recover from the last attack.

Bloodstone exploded from the explosion of arrows, grabbing Cat's Eye by the face and slamming through the wall, breaking out into the Gem Utopia.

Bloodstone threw her down, but as she fell, something shot by, catching her and floating back up.

"You thought you could just throw me to my death, huh?" Lapis glared. "Well guess what buddy, I have wings."

Lapis shot forward, her right wing sharpening as it rammed through Bloodstone's shoulder! "Made of water!"

Bloodstone winced before Cat's Eye's spear rammed through his chest once more, making him spit blood.

He grabbed Lapis, turning and throwing her back across the room and into the other wall.

Cat's Eye grabbed onto the ledge as Lapis dropped her, pulling herself up and spinning, slamming her leg into Bloodstone's side and throwing him across the room as she jumped up, landing on her feet.

Bloodstone skidded across the ground. Cat's Eye shot off the ground at him as he spun his scythe, and clangs were heard as hatchet hit scythe.

The two jumped back from one another, Bloodstone's scythe blade glowing as he pulled his scythe back.

He swung his scythe again and again, sending black blades of energy at Cat's Eye, who narrowly dodged them, moving quickly and elegantly.

Everyone else quickly ran from the room, Stevonnie holding up a giant shield as they were forced to retreat down a level.

The top level was quickly torn apart, walls crumbling around the two.

Cat's Eye panted, blood seeping from a few cuts on her as she was now sweating from dodging all those attacks.

"Come now, don't tell me the Great Cat's Eye is tired." Bloodstone grinned as he shot forward, slamming his knee into Cat's Eye's chest and catching her by the hair before she flew back.

He spun, slamming his foot atop their head and slamming her into the floor, which caved under the force!

The Gem's below eyes widened as the ceiling above them fell, and once again Stevonnie had to create a giant shield.

The shield disappeared after the rubble stopped falling, and Stevonnie collapsed, defusing instantly.

Bloodstone grinned as he stood over Cat's Eye, who laid motionless in a crater.

Bloodstone rose his foot into the air, slamming it down on her again and again.

"Get away from her!" Garnet shot forward, slamming one fist into Bloodstone's cheek, forcing his head back slightly.

Garnet slammed her fists into Bloodstone again and again, and again and again he refused to budge.

He pulled back his scythe, slicing through Garnet's waist.

Garnet's eyes widened, and her gems fell to the ground as she exploded into nothingness.

"Maybe I'll just kill one of them." Bloodstone grinned like a maniac as he held his scythe over Sapphire's gem.

"I do love to see that destroyed look on a person's face when someone they loved so much is killed and they couldn't do anything about it."

before he could swing, however, two clubs slammed into each side of his head, jarring him as Emerald shot forward, slamming both feet into Bloodstone's chest and throwing him back as Amazonite, who was behind him, jumped over him to avoid him slamming into her.

Zeolite shot down from above Bloodstone, stabbing both claws through his abdomen.

"DIE!" Zeolite ordered, kicking off of Bloodstone and back flipping, landing on his feet.

As Bloodstone slowly rose to his feet, a beam of green slammed into him, pushing him back across the ground and into the wall.

"Why don't you clods ever just die?!" Peridot said over the roar of the blast coming from her cannon.

Bloodstone slowly walked forward through the blast, seeming to not even notice it.

Peridot gulped as she saw him coming towards her. Most of the others had actually fought Bloodstone, she'd only fought him as Tanzanite and that didn't exactly go well...

Just as he reached her, pulling back his scythe, a whip wrapped around Peridot's waist, pulling her back away as the scythe slashed through the air where she was a moment ago.

Peridot was caught by Amethyst, and was clearly relieved that Bloodstone hadn't reached her in time.

Lapis shot off the ground at Bloodstone, stabbing violently at him. Bloodstone easily dodged around each of the stabs, his fist shooting forward and slamming into Lapis's chest.

As Lapis was hunched over in pain, He rose his scythe into the air, preparing to stab her in her exposed back gem.

As he did, he was hit in the face with a green blast, obscuring his vision.

When he looked up, he saw a spinning ball of white just before it slammed into his face, throwing him back through the air.

He spun in air, landing on his hands and feet and skidding back.

Amethyst landed on her feet after spinning into Bloodstone, and as Bloodstone stood to his full height, a white cloak fell from the ceiling at a shocking speed, and he jumped back as it exploded into the floor before him.

Zeolite, now without a cloak, came through the smoke, stabbing violently at Bloodstone.

Bloodstone pulled back his scythe, slashing at Zeolite, who took the point of the scythe to the shoulder.

Bloodstone pulled back one foot, slamming it into Zeolite's chest and throwing him across the room and through the wall.

Lapis quickly flew out to catch Zeolite, leaving everyone else to fight.

Emerald seemed to be the first target, Bloodstone shooting off at him and slashing at him from above.

Emerald held up his energy blades to block, but Bloodstone aimed for the bend of his arms, where the energy blades stopped, slicing through Emerald's arms with ease.

Emerald's eyes widened in shock as he fell to the ground, exploding into his gem.

"Emerald!" Amazonite slammed both clubs down on where Bloodstone stood a split second ago, looking up just in time to catch a foot to the face.

Amazonite was thrown back across the ground and into Peridot and Amethyst.

Bloodstone grinned, walking across the room towards Matrix and Tiger.

Matrix groaned, attempting to stand but only falling back to the ground.

Tiger climbed to her feet, stumbling slightly as her claws appeared.

She panted. "Come on, you freaky son of a bitch!" She shot off the ground at Bloodstone, who dodged her claw with ease.

"I have no interest in you, second rate Tiger Twin." Bloodstone slammed his knee into Tiger's chest, pulling back one fist and slamming it into her right eye, throwing her back across the ground.

Tiger groaned, feeling cracks spread through her right eye.

She forced herself to her feet as Matrix looked up at her.

"Tiger, what are you doing..?" Matrix asked, finding breathing now difficult.

"So you think I'm second rate, huh..?" Tiger smirked, cracking her knuckles, her gem eye closed. "That may be so, but I'm still better than a dirt bag like you." Tiger said, and Bloodstone growled with anger.

"Excuse me?" Bloodstone grit his teeth. "You are no where near my equal, child! You are nothing but an insignificant speck!"

"Nah, I'm much better than you..." Tiger's smirk was weak with pain.

"Tiger, what are you doing?! Wait for Steven to heal you!" Matrix said, sitting up.

"What leads you to believe that?" Bloodstone said, his scythe spinning.

"Well, a couple of weeks ago, yeah, you woulda been way above me..." Tiger said, panting as her vision faded in and out, and she struggled to stand.

"But now... After so long, I'm one of the good guys." Was she smiling?

"I have a real home now..." Tiger said, her hands clenching into fists as she stared at the ground.

"Tiger, stop!"

"I've finally come to my senses... I've finally become a good sister..." Tears hit the ground before Tiger.

"For so long it's been killing me... Everything that I've done... But to know you trust me again, Matrix..." Tiger smiled back at Matrix.

"I can die happy now." She looked back to Bloodstone.

"So that's why I'm better than you..." Tiger half grinned, half smiled.

Bloodstone snarled in anger. "YOU ARE NOTHING TO ME!"

He shot forward, slamming one fist into Tiger's face, more shards of her eye flying through the air as she flew back, Matrix catching her.

"I... I finally did it, right..?" Tiger smiled up at Matrix, who had tears running down his face. "I'm a hero now, right..?"

"Tiger... I didn't know..." Matrix said, shaking his head.

"You and me are two sides of the same coin, right?" Tiger's smile widened. "Well it hurts when you're separated from one side of the coin for too long... When you know they hate you..."

"T-Tiger, no, I never hated you!" Matrix said. "Please, just hold on until Steven gets back up!"

"We don't have time for that..." Tiger said, shaking her head. Her physical form began to flicker.

"Hey, that human that you met awhile back..." Tiger said, and Matrix's eyes widened.

"If she was the one who helped you see how great this planet is then... She really wasn't that bad after all..." Tiger smiled, blood seeping from her mouth.

"Tell Steven... Tell Steven I'm sorry..." Matrix's eyes widened at her words, and with that, she disappeared, leaving only shards of orange in Matrix's hands, Matrix's eyes wide in horror.

"T-Tiger..."

Bloodstone's laughter could be heard over the horrified silence of the room.

"Well, once again someone has fallen in my path. If only you idiots ever learned." Bloodstone grinned, holding his scythe above Matrix's head.

"You..." Matrix's hands shook as he stared at the shards of his sister.

"Oh, let me guess, you're going to get all mad and beat me up for five seconds before I flip it back on you, right?" Bloodstone rolled his eyes.

"Lets just skip that and go to the end of this."

Bloodstone grabbed Matrix by the collar of his shirt, pulling him up to eye level.

"I don't know what you fools were planning, but you won't be getting passed me." Bloodstone threw Matrix to the ground.

"My armies will be here within the hour." Bloodstone placed his foot on Matrix's chest, pushing him down further into the crater he was in.

"You and your gang of fools will die." Bloodstone grinned as he leaned to be eye level with Matrix.

"Rose Quartz is gone, her army is gone. Jasper is gone, your pathetic sister is gone." Bloodstone's grin was from ear to ear, turning dark. "All hope that you had was gone the moment I set foot on this pitiful planet."

Bloodstone picked Matrix up by the collar again.

 **"You! Have! Failed!"**

* * *

 **Ooh, that one hit a bit closer to home. I mean, I didn't make Jasper. Tiger, however, was a character who I created.  
**

 **She will be missed...**

 **Please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	36. Chapter 35: Redemtion (Part 1)

**Thanks go to Guest,** **Kagehime-sama53, Guest,** **Cfintimidator,** **Blue topaz the 5th,** **Hollyberry of Skyclan, Jak Fortune,** **ArcticFox319, Guest, and Guest.  
**

 **Fun Fact: Howlite's 'Unbound' form has three stages.**

 **1: Man Eater (The form he took while fighting Blue Diamond)**

 **2: World Eater (The form he took when breaking free from the Kindergarten)**

 **3: God Eater (?)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

Matrix spat his blood filled spit into Bloodstone's face.

"Rebellion for life." Matrix said simply, and Bloodstone snarled, pulling back one fist.

As he did, Matrix's head shot forward, slamming into Bloodstone's and making him drop Matrix.

Matrix landed on his feet, picking up Tiger's shards and jumping back.

Bloodstone snarled as his scythe appeared. "You're pathetic, you know that?"

"So I've been told by literally every main villain." Matrix said, bubbling Tiger's shards and making them disappear, presumably back to his apartment.

Peridot took aim on Bloodstone again, and all who could still fight readied their weapons.

"Do you all honestly think you can win?" Bloodstone asked.

"We knew this was a suicide mission when we came here." Peridot said.

"We all knew what could happen." Amethyst continued.

"We're all ready to die." Lapis said, Zeolite standing next to her after being saved from smashing into the ground from the high tower.

"But even if we do die here," Matrix said.

"Some one else will rise up and stop you!" Amazonite finished.

"Oh how very optimistic." Bloodstone grinned, readying his scythe.

"At least Howlite had enough sense to hide somewhere." Bloodstone said.

"What, do you expect him to be the one to rise up and stop me?" Bloodstone laughed.

Suddenly, a communicator from somewhere in Bloodstone's clothes went off.

"Sir, we've successfully made it through the atmosphere." The words were loud enough for everyone to hear.

"That's it then..." Peridot gulped.

"It's all over..."

* * *

Howlite stood in a tree outside of the Gem Utopia as he watched the ships land outside of it.

"Okay, top ten bad ideas Howlite." He said to himself.

Lapis's words ran through his head, and he winced.

"I can't believe I'm about to do this but..."

 _Hey, Cuddles, you awake?_

The Beast's eyes opened, and a grin spread across it's maw.

 ** _Has the time finally come..?_**

 _Something like that, I guess.  
_

* * *

The hands opened their palms, and hundreds of soldiers appeared on them. The ships were much bigger than Peridot's.

One stood at the lead as they all marched forward towards the Gem Utopia.

The sound of their boots destroying the grass and flowers under them seemed to be the sound of death and destruction itself.

As they all marched towards the entrance of the city, they found a single Gem standing in their way.

There, at the entrance of the Gem Utopia, Howlite leaned against the opened gate, arms crossed casually.

The commander grinned.

"Is this all the rebel force has to meet us?" He laughed, the army laughing with him.

"One Gem is all they could spare!" The laughter grew louder.

"No, I'm not here because the sent me." Howlite said as the laughter began to die down.

"Oh yeah? Then why are you here? Come to beg for mercy?" The commander grinned.

"Nope, not that either." Howlite picked at his teeth as if uninterested.

"Then why are you here?" The Commander asked as the army once again went silent, sounding slightly irritated.

"Well, you see..." Howlite walked to the middle of the gate entrance, stretching. "The reason that I came is..."

Howlite stood to his full height, his eyes closed.

His eyes snapped open.

"IT'S BECAUSE I WAS HUNGRY!"

In an instant, Howlite had exploded into the form seen so long ago at that Kindergarten.

All of the chains fell to the ground, and there, before all of the soldiers, was the World Eater.

* * *

Pearl was thrown back through a wall, catching herself and skidding.

Both her and Hematite were covered in cuts and gashes.

In the distance, they heard a howl, both of their eyes widening.

"What was that?" Hematite glanced at Pearl.

"I'll give you one guess."

* * *

"They should be here by now!" Bloodstone said angrily as the other Gems seemed to have been beaten down with ease.

"What's going on?!" Bloodstone yelled into his communicator.

"S-sir, there's some kind of monster Gem here!" The Commander's voice was full of fear.

"What?!" Bloodstone exclaimed.

"It's some kind of giant Wolf thing!"

Bloodstone's eyes widened. "Giant..?"

"This scrawny gem just suddenly transformed into it! When it appeared, a bunch of chains just fell off of it!"

Bloodstone dropped the communicator.

"He became Unbound..." Lapis said. "He became Unbound to save us!"

"I-it's no matter!" Bloodstone said. "My armies come in the thousands!"

"There's no way Howlite will be able to-"

"Oh space god no!" The com went off.

"IT'S EATING US!"

Bloodstone growled, stomping on the com.

"Well it appears that Howlite's not as much of a coward as we thought." Matrix smirked.

"No, he's more of a Wild Card."

* * *

Pearl and Hematite collided again and again, clangs being heard with the occasional splatter of blood on the ground.

Hematite slashed by, slashing past Pearl's face, cutting the blind fold.

Hematite stopped as he felt himself slice through it, clearly surprised.

He reached down as Pearl jumped away. "A blind fold..." Hematite's hand clenched into a fist around the blind fold that he was now holding.

"You mock me." He said, his teeth gritting.

"What do you mean?"

"You cannot be blind only in combat!" Hematite snapped.

"You have to take the curse with the gift, damn it!"

Pearl's eyes widened at how hurt Hematite seemed to be, as if she'd hit some sort of nerve.

"Hm..." Pearl's eyes narrowed, and she lifted her sword.

The slicing sound that entered Hematite's ears made his eyes widen.

"... There." Pearl smirked, a slash across her eyes.

Hematite's scowl turned to a smirk.

"Better." The two shot off at one another again.

Clangs were heard once again.

* * *

"It's over Bloodstone." Matrix's hands clenched into fists.

"Your army isn't coming, and your only other reaper is busy fighting someone else." Zeolite said.

Bloodstone began to laugh as he was surrounded once again.

"Don't you imbeciles get it?" He said over his laughter.

"The only chance you had was that damn Devourer Fusion." Bloodstone's scythe appeared.

"You're all going to die here to me!"

He shot off the ground at Matrix, who blocked the blade with his spear. that was until the spear broke, and the scythe swung through, slashing across Matrix's chest before Bloodstone's foot slammed into it, throwing him back across the room and into the wall, which cracked.

He held up a glowing palm towards the downed Matrix.

Lapis shot forward, pulling back a wing to stab at Bloodstone.

In an instant, Bloodstone's open palm was in her face.

Lapis's eyes widened as she tried to come to a stop, but it was too late.

She was engulfed in the blast from point blank.

As Bloodstone's hand fell, the beam fading, Lapis stood there, clothes torn and eyes wide, body cut and burnt.

She fell to her knees, and then face first into the ground before Bloodstone's feet.

as Bloodstone pulled up one foot to stomp her gem, a spinning ball of white shot at him, and he reached out, catching Amethyst by the throat.

As Amethyst struggled, Peridot fired a beam from both cannons at Bloodstone, the beams mixing and twirling into one as they spun towards Bloodstone, who held up one hand, stopping the beam in his palm.

"Let this image be the one that tells you all how hopeless it is." Bloodstone grinned.

"And let this image be the one that tells you just how cocky you are!"

Bloodstone's eyes widened as Zeolite shot at him from the middle, pulling back his claw and slamming it through Bloodstone's chest, making him fall backwards.

As he did, Zeolite jumped on top of him, pulling back his claws and slashing into him again and again.

"I will defeat you!" Zeolite roared over the sound of slashing.

"All you are and ever will be is a fool..." Bloodstone grinned, opening his mouth, revealing the symbol on his tongue.

"Reaper Art: Condemning of the Damned!"

A blast of black shot from Bloodstone's mouth, engulfing Zeolite and throwing him through the air!

After about ten seconds, Zeolite was seen falling motionless from the sky, a thud being heard as he hit the ground, bouncing once.

Bloodstone laughed as he climbed back to his feet.

"What the hell are you?!" Peridot growled as she aimed her cannon in on Bloodstone.

"Everything you should be afraid of."

Peridot's eyes widened as Bloodstone appeared in front of her, grabbing her cannon and pulling it to the side, crushing it in his hand.

Peridot tried to pull her arm free, but it was too late. She felt the metal crushing her arm, letting out a scream of pain.

"I still have to know why some of you are even here." Bloodstone said as he let go of Peridot as she laid on the ground, holding her crushed arm.

"I mean, Peridot's weren't even made for fighting. Emerald's are better fighters than Peridot's and as you've seen, Emerald's suck."

In an instant, Bloodstone was smashing across the ground.

"Don't talk sh!t about Emerald!" Amazonite said, holding her clubs.

Bloodstone growled as he climbed to his feet. "I grow tired of getting sucker punched."

"Then don't be such a sucker." Amazonite stuck her tongue out at Bloodstone, who's eye twitched slightly.

"... Alright, you die next."

Bloodstone appeared above Amazonite, pulling his scythe back and slashing down.

But before the scythe could hit, he was caught in a green orb, stopping him immediately.

"Not made for fighting, huh?" Peridot smirked as she held Bloodstone in place.

"That may be true, but these bunch of clods have definitely taught me a thing or two about it." Peridot smirked, throwing Bloodstone across the room.

Bloodstone slammed into the wall, growling lightly.

Bloodstone glanced at the window behind him.

"You know, I grow tired of this small arena..." He floated into the air, pulling his scythe into the air above him.

"If you can survive this, you're worth fighting!"

He slashed down, a blade of black energy slashing down at the building.

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me!" Peridot said, holding her broken arm.

"Kid, get the hell up!" Matrix said as they all ran to the side of the building as it was sliced down the middle, it's two parts falling in different directions.

They had grabbed the two children and all of the gems that had poofed along with the unconscious Zeolite and Lapis.

Steven's eyes slowly opened, and Matrix quickly yelled, "Bubble! Immediately!"

They all jumped from the building as it fell, and Steven's eyes widened, his bubble appearing around them.

* * *

Pearl and Hematite glared at one another as they stood in the center of the room, their blades locked together.

Hematite's eyes suddenly widened as he heard something crashing through the floors.

His foot shot forward, slamming into Pearl's chest and kicking her back as he jumped back as well, the energy slice slashing through the ground where they once stood.

"What the hell is happening?!" Pearl asked.

"Isn't being blind great?!" Hematite said sarcastically as the building around them began to fall.

* * *

The army had been forced into retreat and regroup several times, but it was no use.

The World Eater stood before them, covered in blood. All across the field was blood and gems. Howlite hadn't eaten any of them.

the army ha finally decided to retreat.

For now.

The World Eater looked off into the distance, watching the giant building fall.

"Hm..." It growled, a grin spreading across its maw.

 _Okay, so part one of Operation Screw Up Bloodstone's Plan is complete. Onto part two.  
_

 ** _You remember our deal, correct?_**

 _Yeah yeah, you let me out of this form and I eat the Reaper's power for you.  
_

It bothered Howlite that he'd have to break the promise to himself that he made after leaving his only home.

He told himself he wouldn't eat any gems anymore but he supposed this one was necessary.

The World Eater began to glow, shrinking down.

 _Now, Cuddly, what was this 'God Eater' thing you were on about?_

* * *

Bloodstone stood in the middle of the rubble, looking around.

He heard something shift, seeing a pale hand burst from the rubble.

Pearl groaned, pulling herself from the rubble.

"Well, that was awful..." Pearl groaned.

"Well, look who's still alive." That voice made Pearl freeze.

She couldn't hear anyone else.

Was she alone?

Would Hematite burst from the rubble any second and finish her?

If he didn't, what would Bloodstone do?

She hadn't been too bothered about not seeing for awhile, but when she could only hear Bloodstone, and was completely in the dark, she felt terror creep into her.

Just as Pearl had lost hope, she heard the rubble shifting once again, and another white hand shot from it.

"Am I... Finally good enough for you now, ass hole?" Zeolite said, wincing as he climbed from the rubble. Steven's bubble had stopped them all from splatting on the ground, but the building crashing on them was another story.

"Ah, it seems I've underestimated you, Zeolite." Bloodstone grinned as he placed one foot on Zeolite's head, pushing him back down."But in the end, you're still just a back stabbing little sh!t."

Zeolite growled, his hands clenching into fists as his left claw appeared.

His right hand wrapped around Bloodstone's ankle, making him look back down at him with a 'huh?'

"You... You don't know anything..." Zeolite said, and Bloodstone rolled his eyes, reaching down and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, yanking him from the rubble.

"Yeah yeah classic hero to villain bullsh!t, I get it." Bloodstone said, dropping Zeolite into a kick to the side, throwing him across the rubble.

As he walked towards Zeolite, Zeolite climbed to his feet, growling as he winced, struggling to stand.

"Come on then, I'm your opponent." Zeolite said, pulling back his only claw as he mustered whatever remained of his strength, preparing for his final fight.

* * *

Steven looked over Amzonite's two gems. It didn't look as though they were damaged in anyway, which relieved Steven.

After the bubble popped, Amazonite had shielded Steven with her body along with all of the bodiless gems and Connie.

Steven looked around the area. He had taken the Gems and Connie to the outsides of the rubble, but he hadn't found Matrix, Lapis, Pearl, or Zeolite.

He had found Peridot's and Amethyst's gems in the rubble, and luckily they were unharmed.

Steven heard a metallic clang in the center of the rubble, and he was filled with worry and relief.

He knew that at least one person was alive to oppose Bloodstone.

But he also knew they couldn't do anything.

It was over.

For the first time in his life, Steven had lost hope.

* * *

Zeolite hit the ground, his cheek torn open.

He rolled to the side, a scythe sticking into the ground where he once was.

He shot forward, stabbing at Bloodstone, his wrist being caught before he was pulled forward and into Bloodstone's knee.

Zeolite was released, and he fell to the ground, Bloodstone laughing.

As Bloodstone was about to stab Zeolite and make him turn back to his gem so he could stomp him, as he still had no idea where Zeolite's Gem was, he was interrupted by a weak voice.

"Wait..." Lapis said, half of her body free from one of the piles of rubble. "Please, I beg of you, don't hurt him..."

Bloodstone's small grin quickly spread from ear to ear. "Oh, what's this?" He walked to Lapis, spinning his scythe casually.

"Well maybe if you beg real nice I'll kill you first so you don't have to see it." He grinned wickedly.

Lapis's left wing formed as she struggled to get from the rubble, but Bloodstone stomped on the wing.

Lapis fell forward, out of energy.

Bloodstone snickered, holding his scythe high into the air before suddenly turning around, slashing at Zeolite as he attempted to stab him from behind, catching him by the claw and breaking it.

Bloodstone gave a 'tut tut' before kicking Zeolite back through the air, listening to the amusing 'oof' that Zeolite let out.

As Bloodstone looked back to Lapis, he shook his head. "Don't worry Zeolite, you'll get your turn."

Bloodstone swung down at Lapis's exposed back gem, and as she braced for impact, she was surprised to find that it never came.

She forced herself to look up, and her eyes widened in horror.

Zeolite panted, holding both hands above his head. The scythe went through his hands, coming out the back of his left hand as he held his left behind his right while attempting to stop the blade.

"What?! My scythe should have sliced right through you!" Bloodstone exclaimed. "My scythe can slash through Gem bodies like butter!"

"Yeah..." Zeolite's voice was strained. "But not through Gems, right?"

Lapis's eyes widened in shock, as did Bloodstone, the difference being the fact that a grin followed Bloodstone's wide eyes.

For in the center of Zeolite's left hand was a small, fragile white gem.

For in Zeolite's left hand was a gem with a Reaper's Scythe reaching through it.

Zeolite grinned lightly. "I had to give you one last go f#ck yourself..." Zeolite said, a grin spreading across his face.

Suddenly, Zeolite pulled his right hand free from the scythe, forming a fist and slamming it into Bloodstone's abdomen, making his eyes widen in pain as he was thrown back, coughing blood.

"And that felt pretty good too..." Zeolite laughed lightly, and in a puff of smoke, all that was left were shards on the ground.

Lapis's eyes were wide in horror.

How many more..?

How many more would have to die?

How many more people would she helplessly watch give their lives in vain?

"Well..." Bloodstone said as he stood, walking back towards Lapis. "He died like he lived."

A grin spread across Bloodstone's face once again.

"Like a bitch."

Bloodstone picked up the scythe he'd dropped when he was punched, holding it up once again.

"My apologies Miss Lazuli, I really meant to get to you first, but you know how impatient Zeolite can be." Bloodstone spoke.

"Just do it already..." Lapis said, staring at the ground as her back gem was exposed. "I can't stand to watch this anymore..."

Bloodstone swung down.

Funny how slow things can seem to go when you're moving so fast.

Lapis glanced up to see in what almost seemed like slow motion.

There he was. Howlite.

He was coming from the sky, pulling his leg back and slamming it into the side of Bloodstone's neck.

The instant the force was received, everything sped back up.

Bloodstone was thrown across the battlefield, and Howlite did a barrel role-like spin in air before landing on his feet.

"Rule One:" Howlite landed on his feet, holding up one finger to Bloodstone as he pulled himself from the rubble.

 **"If you're gonna have a party, invite me."**

* * *

 **An once again,  
**

 **BOOYAH MOTHER F#CKERS!**

 **Two deaths in a row, man don't I feel like a piece of sh!t.**

 **Anyway, get ready for Howlite's big point of character development.  
**

 **Anyways, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	37. Chapter 36: Redemtion (Part 2)

**Thanks go to Guest, Guest,** **Kagehime-sama53, cynicaltea, Guest,** **cfydify, TennisCat,** **Hollyberry of Skyclan, Guest, ChaosMageX,** **Blue topaz the 5th, and ArticFox319.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

He was dead.

Zeolite was dead.

Hematite had burst from the rubble just in time to see it.

As Zeolite had died, the red paint on his skin had peeled away. In death, Zeolite had been freed.

His eyes were wide in horror, and though he couldn't see his vision being blurred, he felt something warm and wet running down his cheeks.

He hadn't seen it, of course, but in his case, he could feel and hear vibrations so well that he could almost make out shapes. He could also hear their words.

Bloodstone had killed Zeolite.

The one who he knew as his only friend was gone.

Hematite wasn't filled with rage.

He wasn't filled with hopelessness.

He was only partially full of overwhelming grief.

He was just disappointed.

Disappointed in himself.

He had never felt so blind up until now...

* * *

"You alright?" Howlite asked as he helped Lapis out of the rubble.

He half expected a sarcastic answer.

 _Of course she isn't alright, numb skull!_

Lapis just stared at Zeolite's shards as if she was completely drained of life.

"So many more have died..." She muttered.

"But wasn't Zeolite..?"

"He came to our side in the end... He gave his life to save me..." Lapis said as tears filled her eyes.

Howlite glanced back at Bloodstone, who was pulling himself from the rubble.

Pearl seemed to have freed herself from the rubble, and was now laying against it, clearly trying to regain her energy.

If Howlite believed in Space God, He would have prayed that more people were left than this.

"Who else did that bastard kill, Lapis?" Howlite looked into her eyes with his hands on her shoulders.

"He killed Tiger... And who knows who else died in that building falling..." Lapis said, looking back to the ground.

"Damn it..." Howlite had to keep himself from clenching his hands on Lapis's shoulders and accidentally hurting her.

She had clearly taken a lot of damage.

"Well you just rest here..." Howlite said. "I'll handle Bloodstone." Howlite let go of Lapis, looking back to Bloodstone and beginning to walk towards him.

"Howlite, please..." Howlite looked back at Lapis as she spoke.

"So many people have already died..." She said, hands clenching into fists as she looked at the ground. "Maybe if we run..."

Howlite was a little shocked. She seemed so... Broken.

Howlite was silent for a few seconds, but it felt like eternity.

He knew that he didn't stand much of a chance.

And frankly, He was rather afraid of dying to this... Thing that called itself a Gem.

But something else terrified him. It had been the image that made him come here in the first place.

It was Bloodstone surrounded by shattered gems.

Connie lay dead, holding the shards of Rose Quartz.

Bloodstone stood, holding Lapis by the throat and grinning as he pulled back his scythe.

Howlite smirked.

"Me? Run?" Howlite grinned at Lapis. "I thought you knew me better."

"This isn't a joke Howlite!" Lapis snapped, tears falling from her eyes and onto the ground as she looked to the ground.

"People are dying!" She said. "Don't you understand how hopeless it is?!"

"Hopeless, eh?" Howlite shrugged. "No, I guess I'm too arrogant to see how hopeless it is."

"But there's no need to worry about me." Howlite looked back to Bloodstone.

"Every dog has his day, this one happens to be mine."

Lapis went silent, watching as Howlite walked towards Bloodstone.

"Hmph." Bloodstone grinned. "Finally done with the shipping crap, freak?"

 _Could Have Been_ by _Econoline Crush_ began playing in the background.

"Rule Two:" Howlite rolled his eyes before he suddenly disappeared.

"What?!" Bloodstone looked around as quickly as he could.

He was suddenly hunched over Howlite's fist, blood spewing from his mouth.

"Pick up on what a person's trigger is, and avoid it." Howlite said, pushing his fist forward and throwing Bloodstone back into the rubble once again.

"And also, shipping is bullsh!t." Howlite crossed his arms, watching Bloodstone stand again.

"Well it appears that a dog has wandered into the slaughter house." Bloodstone grinned, his scythe appearing.

"And here I thought you were smart enough to run away."

"Rule Three:"

Howlite was suddenly above Bloodstone, joining his fists together and bringing them down on Bloodstone's head, making him crash into the dirt.

"Talk sh!t, get hit." Howlite stood over the crater, and he grinned, his metal maw appearing as Bloodstone suddenly shot from the darkness.

He pulled back his scythe, swinging at Howlite, who back flipped away from it, stopping on his feet after three back flips.

Bloodstone shot forward at him, pulling his scythe back as he prepared to strike. Howlite shot forward, snarling as they rammed into one another head first.

As their foreheads collided, there was a moment of them staring at one another with hate filled eyes.

they kicked off of one another, skidding back on the ground with both feet and one hand.

Bloodstone shot at Howlite again, who jumped over him, spinning as Bloodstone stopped, looking back just in time to block Howlite's metal maw.

Howlite back flipped off of the scythe handle that had blocked his teeth, Bloodstone shooting forward and slamming one fist into Howlite's face.

Howlite slid back slightly, ducking under the next punch and slamming his head into Bloodstone's chin.

He jumped above Bloodstone as Bloodstone reeled back, pulling his knee back and slamming it into Bloodstone's face, throwing Bloodstone back across the rubble.

Howlite landed on his feet, side stepping the spinning scythe that flung towards his head.

When he looked back to where Bloodstone was, he found that Bloodstone was right in front of him, one fist pulled back as he threw it forward, slamming it into Howlite's face and throwing him back across the battle field.

"Hmph..." Bloodstone walked towards Howlite, who groaned, rubbing his head as he sat up.

Howlite seemed to be out of energy already, and Bloodstone grinned wickedly.

"One punch is all it took, huh?" He appeared above Howlite, pulling his scythe back.

As he did, however, Howlite's eyes snapped open, a grin spreading across his face as he shot forward, sinking his teeth into Bloodstone's neck!

"Gah!" Bloodstone exclaimed in shock as Howlite pulled himself free, kicking Bloodstone back.

Bloodstone stumbled, holding his neck. "You don't fight like a hero..."

Howlite's face was suddenly inches from Bloodstone's, his grin dark as blood dripped from his metal maw.

"I'm no hero."

Howlite's knee slammed into Bloodstone's chest, forcing him up into Howlite's conjoined fists, which slammed down on the back of his head.

Howlite jumped up, kicking both feet into Bloodstone's chest.

Howlite landed on his feet as Bloodstone was thrown back once again. "I'm just a freak, remember?"

Bloodstone snarled, standing slowly. "You caught me off guard..."

"Of course." Howlite cracked his knuckles. "You're so used to fighting people who have been broken physically or emotionally, you never thought that I of all people would be stable enough to put the oh so great Reaper in his place."

"You're nothing but a pathetic monster that believes that he's better than everyone else. You're so sure everyone's beneath you." Howlite grinned as Bloodstone seemed to be seething with rage.

"You beat people who have already been taking a beating, and are still arrogant enough to believe that you're some higher being." Howlite cracked his neck as Bloodstone shot off the ground at him.

"SHUT UP!"

"But in reality..." Howlite suddenly snarled, catching Bloodstone's scythe in his teeth.

"You're no god. You're just an over powered psychopath." Howlite grinned, and the scythe broke in his teeth.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Bloodstone snarled, jumping back as he opened his palm, firing a wave of black energy at Howlite.

Howlite stood calm as the blast approached him.

He grinned, holding up his hands and stopping the blast in them, skidding back. He opened his mouth, and the blast began to get sucked in!

"Damn it damn it damn it!" Bloodstone roared, watching as his attack was sucked away.

Howlite jumped forward, pulling back his left palm as he did so, slamming it into Bloodstone's face and throwing him to the ground.

"I'm the Gem that's gonna kill the Reaper." Howlite grinned, his hand lighting up with stolen energy.

Bloodstone was pushed deep into the ground under the force of the blast fired directly into his face.

There was silence for a moment as Howlite stood before the crater.

That was before the roar of anger erupted from the earth.

Bloodstone shot from the ground behind Howlite, pulling back one fist and throwing it into the space between his shoulder blades.

Howlite was thrown forward over the crater, and Bloodstone jumped into the air, pulling up both hands.

"Lets see you eat this you mangy mutt!" Bloodstone roared, the symbol appeared over his head and above his hands before a large ball of black began to form over his head.

Howlite growled as the gigantic ball of energy was thrown down at him.

 _Damn it! How much power does this guy have?!_ Howlite thought as the music in the background faded out.

* * *

Steven looked up in horror to see the giant ball of black floating over the rubble and slowly coming down towards it.

 _H-he's gonna kill all of us..!_

As Steven began to panic, he saw something in the corner of his eye, and looked to see something that put even more fear in him.

There Hematite stood, hair covering his eyes as he carried an unconscious Pearl.

Before Steven could say anything, Hematite set Pearl down in front of him.

He then pulled his swords from their sheathes and, as Steven was backing away, set them on the ground before him.

"W-what..?" Steven said, looking up from the blades on the ground to Hematite, who fell to his hands and knees before Steven.

"I'm sorry..." Hematite said in almost a whisper.

* * *

Bloodstone was laughing like a madman.

Howlite growled as he held up both hands towards the ball of energy.

The ball hit his hands, and Howlite grit his teeth as he skidded back across the ground, the gem in his mouth glowing along with the one in his chest.

 _The things I do for no pay..._

The ground cracked around Howlite as small pebbles were sucked into the mass of the energy ball.

"What kind of... Shark jumping... Unbelievable bullsh!t... Is this..?!" Howlite snarled as the ground under him began caving under the force.

Howlite fell to one knee, feeling himself being crushed under the force of the attack.

 _I've got no other option... I'm going to pop after this, I'm sure..._

Howlite lifted his mouth to the ball of energy, and it began to get sucked in.

Howlite could feel an unbelievable power coursing through his veins.

But as more power came in, he could feel pain. He was taking in more than he should be able to.

It almost felt like when you're stomach is full but you keep eating, but the pain was ten times more intense.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Bloodstone said as he watched the ball begin to shrink.

"STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!" Bloodstone roared.

As the ball faded into nothingness, Bloodstone could see Howlite, standing with burnt and bleeding palms.

He was barely standing at all, but power seemed to be radiating from him.

Howlite began to growl, his pupils disappearing.

His hands clenched into fists, and he roared, the ground indenting below him.

Pebbles were pushed away, rubble being thrown.

But just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, and Howlite fell face first onto the ground.

After a moment of relief, Bloodstone began to laugh, floating down in front of Howlite.

"Well, you had me worried for a second there." Bloodstone picked Howlite up by the collar of his shirt, Howlite's head tipping back as if he was unconscious.

"I'm surprised your gem hasn't shattered from all the strain it's under right now. I wouldn't be surprised if you exploded soon." Bloodstone floated up from the crater, landing in front of Lapis while holding Howlite.

"Well, I believe your little savior bit off more than he could chew." Bloodstone grinned as he dropped Howlite at her feet.

"..." Lapis was shocked into silence, backing up slowly. "How can you... How can you be so powerful?"

"Maybe you're just weak." Bloodstone shrugged with a grin.

"Hey..." Bloodstone looked down to see Howlite wrapping one hand around his ankle.

"You leave her alone..." He said, struggling to stay conscious.

He knew that if he stopped giving all of his energy to keeping himself together...

"And what are you going to do about it?" Bloodstone picked Howlite back up.

Howlite grinned, blood seeping from his mouth.

"Well first I'm going to trick your stupid ass."

Bloodstone's eyes widened as Howlite's mouth opened wide, something glowing in the back of it.

"Son of a bit-"

Bloodstone was cut off, the blast engulfing his head before engulfing his upper body and making him drop Howlite.

Howlite was thrown back from force of the blast coming from his mouth, and Lapis quickly put both hands on his back, trying to stop him from being sent flying away.

As Lapis and Howlite began to skid back, Lapis noticed another pair of hand pushing to keep Howlite in place, and looked to her side to see Matrix, clothes torn and right eye closed as he used all of his remaining energy to keep Howlite from going flying.

The beam eventually came to a stop, and Howlite fell forward.

Lapis caught Howlite, setting him on the ground. "He did it..." She sighed in relief, smiling.

"Yeah... About time..." Matrix said, falling to his knees.

* * *

"How... How dare they..?" Bloodstone said as he laid on the ground, staring at the sky. Smoke twirled into the atmosphere from the ashes of the earth.

Bloodstone's teeth grit as he sat up, grabbing hold of his scythe as he forced himself up, blood seeping from his mouth.

"I need more power... I need to heal..."

* * *

"Uh..." Steven put a hand on Hematite's shoulder. "Apology accepted?"

"He killed Zeolite..." Hematite explained, knowing Steven was curious as to why he had came to him.

"Oh..." Steven looked slightly shocked.

Hematite sat on the ground with his head down as silence fell.

That was until his eyes widened, Steven's arms wrapping around him.

"You never did seem like a bad guy." Steven smiled lightly, and Hematite's arms slowly returned the hug.

"... I was... I was just following orders..." Hematite said, his eyes still wide.

"I'm sorry about Zeolite... I didn't know him too well but..." Steven looked down.

"You care about everyone, don't you?" Hematite asked.

It almost sounded like a statement.

"Just like your mother, Steven, was it?"

Steven's eyes widened.

"How did you-"

"I had my share of encounters with your mother, child. I know that while there's certainly resemblance, you aren't her. Plus, It's kind of common knowledge among the higher ups at Homeworld." Hematite smirked lightly.

"You've got Yellow Diamond scared, child."

Steven smiled wide. "Then maybe there's hope after all..."

"As soon as Bloodstone is gone..." Hematite's expression hardened as he stood, letting go of Steven and picking his swords back up.

"Are you going to..?"

"I've got a score to settle, Steven."

* * *

Matrix leaned against the rubble of a wall, gasping for breath as he struggled to keep his physical form.

Lapis was checking Howlite's gems, making sure that there were no cracks in them.

She almost glared at the Blue Diamond in his chest, remembering the horrible story Howlite had told her.

As Matrix lay catching his breath, he heard a spinning sound and, having a flash back, jumped to the side as fast as he could, seeing a scythe stick through the rubble where he had been.

"No..!" Matrix said as he landed on his feet, both him and Lapis staring up a pile of rubble to see Bloodstone standing at the top of it, grinning down at them.

"You really thought... That I would go down like that?"

Matrix snarled, pulling his spear from his eye and shooting off the ground at Bloodstone.

Bloodstone's grin was wicked as he shot down, grabbing Matrix by the throat.

"Thank you for the contribution." Bloodstone said, his grip tightening as his hand began to glow.

"Reaper Art:"

Upon hearing those words, Matrix's eyes widened in horror.

"Soul Eater!"

Matrix could feel his energy being sucked away as he grabbed hold of the hand that had him by the throat.

"Let... Me... Go..!" Matrix demanded as his physical form began to fade.

"Now now, just calm down and let it happen." Bloodstone said.

"Rape vibe..!" Matrix choked. "So much rape vibe..!"

As Matrix began to disappear, Bloodstone's eyes narrowed as he held up his scythe, blocking two blades.

Hematite snarled, back flipping off of the scythe an landing on his feet.

"So you're betraying me as well, Hematite?" Bloodstone glared, dropping Matrix.

As he did, a pink shield slammed into the side of his head, making him look to the side to see Steven standing in front of Lapis and Howlite.

"Ah, I was wondering when you would arrive, son of Pink Diamond." Bloodstone grinned,walking towards Steven.

"I hope for your sake you're as strong as your mother."

"Pink Diamond..?" Steven said, confused.

"I suppose they wouldn't bother telling you, huh?" Bloodstone grinned.

Hematite landed in front of Bloodstone. "leave him alone! Your fight's with me!"

Bloodstone suddenly disappeared, appearing behind Hematite and kicking him forward.

"I'll deal with you later, scum." Bloodstone said before looking back to Steven.

"It figures that they'd leave you in the dark. They don't respect you at all."

"W-what..?" Steven said, backing up slightly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Bloodstone asked, looming over Steven. "To them, you're just some kid."

Steven's eyes widened at Bloodstone's words.

He couldn't help but remember every time they'd left him behind. Every time they'd told him he wasn't strong enough.

"They all knew and loved your mother, and they believe it's your fault that she's gone." Bloodstone said, kneeling before Steven.

"They all hate you."

"N-no, that's not..." Steven backed up slowly, falling and landing on his butt.

"SHUT UP!" Lapis roared, flying over Steven at Bloodstone, who side stepped her, watching her crash from lack of energy in the dirt.

"But Homeworld would appreciate you." Bloodstone said, making Steven's eyes widen.

"W-what..?"

"I bet your aunt would be oh so happy to meet you." Bloodstone gave a smile that somehow didn't seem too friendly.

"You're mother made the decision to forsake us, but you have yet to make that decision." Bloodstone stood, offering his hand to Steven.

"So what do you choose? Stay here and die when you're so young, or come with me, and live as a god among Gems."

Steven's eyes were wide, and he slowly reached for Bloodstone's hand.

A grin spread across Bloodstone's face.

* * *

 _ **Howlite...**  
_

Howlite's eyes opened slowly, and he saw the shards of Zeolite's gem sitting on the ground before him.

 _Huh..?_

 ** _Howlite, I need you to listen..._**

Zeolite's gem seemed to be glowing.

 _Who are you..?_

 ** _You're looking at me right now._**

Howlite's eyes widened.

 _Zeolite? But you're-_

 ** _Look Howlite, we don't have a lot of time.  
_**

 _What do you want?  
_

 ** _The only one of us who isn't about to die is Hematite, and he's not anywhere near strong enough to defeat Bloodstone._**

 _So what do you want me to do about it? Kinda barely conscious here.  
_

 ** _you have to eat my shards, Howlite._**

Howlite's eyes widened.

 _What?! No, I don't do that anymore!_

 ** _Howlite, look, I know that you're afraid... I know you don't want to be a monster anymore but... in order to fight a monster like Bloodstone, you don't need a hero._**

 ** _You need another monster._**

 _B-but.._

 ** _He's going to kill them Howlite! Every last one of them! Lapis, Steven, Hematite, Matrix, everyone!  
_**

Howlite's eyes were wide in horror. He could hear that monster calling to him since he broke the chains. The hunger was growing...

Saliva ran down the side of Howltie's mouth as he reached slowly for Zeolite's shards.

He felt his stomach tighten. He was disgusted with himself as he scooped them up.

He slowly brought them to his mouth, his hand shaking as a tear streamed from one eye.

He forced the shards into his mouth.

* * *

Lapis looked up form the ground, glancing dazed at Bloodstone before she noticed Howlite was moving, and as she glanced over at Howlite, her eyes widened.

She watched as he pushed the shards into his mouth, bringing his head back as he forced them to slide down his throat, the line of saliva running down his cheek as the lump appeared in his throat and slid away into his stomach.

"Howlite, what are you doing?!" She yelled, making everyone look to Howlite, who sat on his knees as he stared at the sky.

 _I'm sorry...  
_

A white aura exploded out around Howlite, the ground around him exploding away.

"Hm..." As Bloodstone looked up at Howlite, who was now standing, his head turning slowly to look at him with his hair covering his eyes, Steven pulled his hand back.

"So once again you've given into your little demon to try to make yourself more powerful." Bloodstone walked past Steven, walking towards Howlite, who stood motionless.

"But it won't work, and you know that." Bloodstone grinned.

Bloodstone suddenly shot forward. "So lets just cut to the chase and-!"

Bloodstone's eyes widened in shock, blood spewing from his mouth and nose.

He looked down, seeing Howlite leaning under him, fist rammed into his abdomen.

"I'm going to kill you." Howlite said blankly, looking up at Bloodstone with a blank expression.

Zeolite's claw suddenly came from Howlite's hand, ramming through Bloodstone's abdomen.

"W-what?!" Bloodstone choked.

Howlite pulled the claw from Bloodstone, jumping up and spinning, slamming one foot into Bloodstone's face, throwing him violently across the battle field.

Howlite sighed, cracking his knuckles.

 **"Did I stutter?"  
**

* * *

 **Well, this was a pretty long chapter. And Bloodstone keeps getting stronger and stronger.  
**

 **But they almost got him.**

 **Maybe.**

 **Anyways, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	38. Chapter 37: Redemtion (Part 3)

**Uh... Hey guys...**

 **So uh... Eheheheh... Kinda took me awhile to update this time huh..?**

 **Well I have an explanation!**

 ***A bottle is thrown and smashes next to my head* Gah! Okay, Okay! I'm sorry! But school recently started back up, so updates are going to be coming out a lot slower! I'll try to get a new chapter out every weekend, but I can't make any promises.**

 ***another bottle is thrown, this time hitting me in the forehead and making me fall back out of my chair and onto the floor*  
**

 **Okay, who threw that?  
**

 **"Stop killing off characters we like!"**

 **Eugh...**

 **Thanks go to:** **, Guest,** **Kagehime-sama53, ArticFox319,** **CamoFrogadier,** **Hollyberry of Skyclan, Guest, cynicaltea,** **Blue topaz the 5th, Guest, TennisCat, Jak Fortune, Guest, Guest,** **MaverickHunter, and Meh.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

Matrix's vision was fading in and out as he watched Howlite rise once again.

He had eaten Zeolite's shards... Once again, Matrix was questioning Howlite's humanity.

That was Zeolite's claw.

Hematite knew who Howlite had eaten.

He had devoured his comrade.

His friend.

His brother.

His one light in this dark little world was dead and devoured.

He knew it was necessary... Zeolite would have willingly given up his power to defeat Bloodstone but...

Not like this.

Steven was horrified. Up until today, he had believed in the good in every gem.

But Bloodstone was evil.

And Howlite was some kind of monster.

Lapis was shocked. Howlite wasn't bad... She had forced herself to believe that.

He had just been dealt a bad hand, she had told herself.

He could change.

But he had just done something she could have never imagined...

Could Howlite be too far gone..?

* * *

Bloodstone roared in anger.

"I'M DONE! I'M DONE DEALING WITH THESE CONSTANT UP AND DOWNS IN POWER! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Try it." Howlite shrugged.

Bloodstone roared with anger once again, shooting off at Howlite, pulling back one fist and throwing it forward only for it to be caught in Howlite's palm.

Howlite grinned.

His knee shot forward, _Lights Out_ by _Breaking Benjamin_ began playing in the background the moment his knee collided with Bloodstone's abdomen.

Bloodstone flew up, and Howlite pulled back one fist, throwing it into Bloodstone's face and throwing him back through the air.

Howlite appeared above him, snarling as he pulled back one fist, slamming it into Bloodstone's chest an throwing him into the ground.

"Everything you've done, Bloodstone." Howlite said as he stood over Bloodstone.

"The Gem Wars. The Reaper Experiment. The Dome."

Howlite pulled back one foot, throwing it forward and slamming it into Bloodstone's chin, sending him flying back across the sky.

Bloodstone's laughter could be heard as he climbed slowly to his feet.

"I _am_ full of good ideas, aren't I?" Bloodstone grinned. "The Dome was my personal favorite. But I'm sure you're quite partial to the Reaper Experiment, huh, double albino?"

Howlite's teeth grit before he shot forward, pulling his fist back.

"Oh don't lie to me, you filthy dog!" Bloodstone said as he caught the fist, pulling back his own.

"You watched that Dome with nothing but glee!"

"That was a different time!"

The two pulled back their fists, throwing them forward at the same time and letting them slam together.

A shock wave threw them away from one another.

"Oh really?" Bloodstone grinned. "What's different?" Bloodstone asked.

"Is it the different planet?" Bloodstone wondered. "Is it because you ate the brat?"

"Perhaps its the new blue whore?"

Bloodstone was slammed into the dirt, Howlite snarling as he pulled back Zeolite's claw.

"You can insult me."

He grabbed Bloodstone by the collar of his shirt, pulling him up to eye level.

"You can insult this planet,"

He stabbed at Bloodstone, who caught him by the wrist, struggling to hold it back.

"You hurt the rest of these clowns,"

Howlite pulled back his head, slamming it into Bloodstone's.

"But don't you ever, EVER,"

Howlite pulled Bloodstone into the air.

"TALK SH!T ABOUT HER!"

Howlite pulled back a glowing blue fist, ramming it into Bloodstone's stomach and throwing him across the battlefield.

Bloodstone groaned, sitting up from the dirt as Howlite walked towards him.

"Oh Howlite, you're so gallant." Bloodstone said in a mocking tone as he stood.

"Why don't you wake up?!" He snapped. "You're no better than me! What, you think that you're suddenly a good guy because you switched sides? You're still the same blood thirsty little freak that you were the day you broke from that Kindergarten."

"You are a monster. You are a predator trying to act like the prey Howlite, and quit frankly it sickens me!"

Howlite grit his teeth.

"And you think that they think any different?" Bloodstone grinned. "Please, they'll toss you aside the moment you've either defeated me or been defeated! Even the son of Pink Diamond knows you're just another disposable, worthless, freakish, pathetic shell of a gem! These hero types know a villain when they see one, and you are certainly a villain."

Howlite remained silent.

"You know who you remind me of? Citrine." Bloodstone grinned.

"Accept Citrine knows what he is. He accepted that he's just some freak who'll kill anything to survive. Honestly, maybe you should have been the one named the Savage, not your partner."

Howlite was suddenly in front of Bloodstone, pulling back his fist and slamming it into his face in one swift motion, throwing him forward before appearing above Bloodstone, spinning in air and slamming his foot down on his chest, throwing him into the dirt.

Bloodstone was pulled from the ground in the next instant, Howlite glaring into his eyes.

"You really try to push people's buttons, you know that? I mean, you call me a freak, you insult Lapis, you compare me to Citrine, and you push the damn Lignite Button."

"Are you a monster, or a middle school bully?"

Howlite grinned, his metal maw appearing as Bloodstone pulled back his fist, throwing it forward only for it to be caught.

In Howlite's teeth.

Howlite slammed one foot down on Bloodstone's chest, throwing him back down into the dirt. As he did, Bloodstone's hand was pulled free, being only partially torn apart by Howlite's teeth.

He jumped back, and Bloodstone shot up after him. As the reaper did, however, the ground under him froze, and he slipped, Howlite pulling back his fist just in time to catch him by the face, throwing him high into the air.

Howlite jumped up into the air, spinning and bringing his leg down on Bloodstone, who winced as he blocked with both arms, the forcing throwing him towards the ground.

He flipped in air, landing on his feet and jumping back as Howlite landed on the ground in front of him, the ground exploding out ward and freezing.

Howlite shot forward, pulling back his fist and Zeolite's claw appeared on his hand, and Bloodstone summoned his scythe right on time, swinging at Howlite, who blocked with Zeolite's blade, pulling back his free hand and slamming it into Bloodstone's abdomen.

Bloodstone skidded backwards as Howlite landed on his feet.

Bloodstone slipped as the ground behind him was frozen, and Howlite jumped up, spinning and slamming both feet into his chest, smashing him through the ice.

Howlite back flipped off of him, landing on his feet as Bloodstone shot from the crater, roaring and pulling back his glowing scythe.

Howlite jumped back and forth quickly as black blades of energy shot from the scythe as Bloodstone swung it rapidly.

A wall of ice appeared in front of Howlite to block the blades, and he jumped back away from the ice shield as it exploded.

Howlite jumped up through the shards of ice that rained down, pulling back one fist and throwing it at Bloodstone, who caught it, throwing the next punch, which Howlite caught.

As they spun through the sky, the two pulled back their heads, slamming them together.

They snarled, bringing up their feet and kicking off of one another. They spun through the air, catching themselves and shooting off at one another.

A shock wave threw rubble into the air as they collided.

The shock wave threw them both to the ground, and they skidded, Howlite falling to one knee as he panted.

"Damn it... I'm pulling out all the stops and he just won't go down..." Howlite muttered as he stood slowly.

"Getting tired already?" Bloodstone grinned, and Howlite snarled, shooting off the ground at him as Zeolite's claws appeared with his metal maw.

Howlite slashed rapidly at Bloodstone, who blocked and dodged around the claws.

Howlite's head shot forward, and he sunk his teeth into Bloodstone's neck.

Bloodstone snarled, kicking Howlite off. Howlite spun, landing on his feet.

Bloodstone shot forward, slamming his fist into Howlite's face, throwing him back across the rubble and through a large pile of it.

Bloodstone walked to Howlite, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him from the rubble.

As he did, the music in the background faded out.

Bloodstone grinned as he pulled back his scythe. "Well it's been fun."

Just before he swung, however, the world around them seemed to freeze.

No, wait, the area they were in literally froze.

Scratch that, Bloodstone was the only one in the block of ice.

Howlite wore a smirk that said "Gotcha bitch."

Bloodstone's expression was that of shock and anger as Howlite pulled himself free.

"What are the words I'm looking for?" Howlite wondered as he stood in front of Bloodstone.

"Oh, right,"

Howlite jumped up, pulling back his left leg as a line of blue energy wrapping around it like a spring.

"BOOYAH MOTHER F#CKER!"

Howlite's leg shot forward as if it were spring loaded.

His leg slammed through the ice, slamming into Bloodstone and throwing him through the dirt with enough force to throw him through the entire Gem Utopia, the ground being left in a crater large enough to have held a river, buildings falling as he shot under them.

Howlite stumbled slightly, falling to his hands and knees as he panted for breath.

"Okay... Good first round..." He muttered to himself, forcing himself to his feet. "Pretty sure I'm going to die in Round Two but... Good round one."

He watched as the black dot that was Bloodstone stood in the distance, and he sighed, his metal maw appearing with Zeolite's claws.

"Here we go again..."

* * *

"Alright, my shift is up. Your turn to watch this freak."

One guard walked away from the giant cell, another walking to it and looking in the window.

"This seems a bit excessive..." The young guard muttered.

"Hmph, don't you know who that is?" The other guard asked, looking in the room through the window on the giant door as well.

"Well, of course but, he already has the Star Bolt on him, and he hasn't so much as opened his eyes in the past couple hundred years. Do we really need to have so many guards watching him from so many different places just to make sure he doesn't do anything? Don't you think The Dome kind of... Broke him?"

The other Guard glared at the orange figure in the dark room. He was chained to the floor, and some device was strapped to his neck.

"Yeah, but no matter how much he plays dead, we aren't gonna stop keeping him locked down!" The other guard said, loud enough for the unnamed gem to hear him.

"You hear me in there, freak?!"

He did not move.

"Hmph." The older guard walked away from the door.

The younger gem just stared at him through the window.

"What could he have possibly done..?"

* * *

Shock waves rocked the sky as Howlite and Bloodstone reappeared and disappeared throughout it, punching and kicking each other again and again.

Lapis watched as they slowly seemed to even out. When this had started, Howlite had seemed to be so much more powerful than Bloodstone.

Could it be that Zeolite's extra power was wearing thin?

Matrix had finally retreated to his gem, and Lapis, Hematite, and Steven all watched from the side lines.

Howlite's fist collided with Bloodstone's, and Bloodstone pulled back his scythe, swinging at Howlite, who caught it in his teeth.

The two fought tooth and nail, both fueled by rage and hatred.

"... Will he ever die..?" Hematite said, breaking the silence between the three.

"What do you mean?" Steven asked.

"No matter who makes the heroic entrance and fights Bloodstone, he always wins. He always outlasts the other... He will wear away Howlite's power soon enough... And then I will be left to avenge Zeolite..." Hematite said, watching as Howlite slammed his fist into Bloodstone's face, Bloodstone returning the favor.

"But... We were supposed to defeat him this time..." Steven said, looking up at Hematite.

"This isn't like all the others, child. This is the Reaper Bloodstone. He is strong enough to hunt the Diamonds..."

Steven felt his stomach tighten.

"So Howlite actually showed up, did he?"

Hematite looked over his shoulder at Pearl, who was using her spear to help herself stand.

"And he's currently our only hope..." Lapis said, looking down.

Hematite's teeth grit.

"So this is all you guys do when your friends are fighting?! Sit and watch and hope?!" Hematite snapped.

"We aren't strong enough to fight now... Please understand, we'd just get in there way. And also, side change?" Pearl said, arching a brow at Hematite.

"Well not me!" Hematite ignored her request for explanation.

"I AM A WARRIOR! NOT A SPECTATOR!"

Hematite shot off the ground towards where Howlite and Bloodstone fought.

"Hematite, wait!" Pearl called out, reaching forward before grabbing her side, blood seeping through her clothes as Steven's eyes widened slightly.

"Pearl, stop! I can heal you, but you can't keep moving around like this! You shouldn't have gotten up!"

* * *

 _Could really use a bit more energy, Zeolite!  
_

 ** _It's not like I have a lot left! Why don't you just tap into that thing in the cage over there?!_**

 _I used the God Eater earlier fighting that damn army! I can't use that again without putting too much strain on my Gem!  
_

Zeolite and Blue Diamond stood in front of the cage of the monster, watching through Howlite's eyes as he collided with Bloodstone again and again.

"You can't afford to lose, Howlite! Are you sure that you can't just-"

"We can't have him risking his life more than he already is. Besides, even if he did use the World Eater, he'd just be a bigger target for that damn reaper. He has to beat Bloodstone like this or he won't be beating him at all." Blue Diamonds hands clenched on her arms as she had them crossed.

"Howlite... You know of the last resort, correct?" The World Eater rumbled.

 _It's not gonna come to that!_

Howlite hit the ground, bouncing before Bloodstone slammed down on top of him, smashing him into the ground.

 _Eugh... Anybody got any ideas..?_

Bloodstone pulled back his scythe, grinning over Howlite.

"Well you had me going there for a second, but it seems that your just big talk." Bloodstone said.

 ** _Well this is usually the time that Hematite would jump in and save me... Howlite, if you get out of this, tell him I'm sorry.  
_**

As Bloodstone's scythe came down, a glow came from Howlite, and from his chest a shifting, unstable light came.

Bloodstone's scythe stopped, and his eyes narrowed at the claws that held it in place.

Howlite stared with only minor horror as Zeolite had burst from his chest to block the attack, his physical form shifting slightly as he struggled to use what energy he had remaining.

"Remember me?!" Zeolite said, and Howlite found the blue diamond in his chest glowing.

Zeolite pulled back his second claw, which glowed blue as it shot forward, ramming through Bloodstone's abdomen.

Bloodstone's eyes widened, his teeth gritting.

"That all you got..?!"

"Not even close!"

Zeolite's claw glowed once more as blue energy shot from it, throwing Bloodstone back through the air.

Immediately after doing so, his form shifted slightly, and he winced in pain.

"Sorry I kind of used up my last bit of energy, Howlite... And thanks for the help, Blue Diamond..." Zeolite fell forward, and as he felt he was about to disappear for good, he felt someone catch him.

"Z-Zeolite..." Hematite stammered. He had caught Zeolite.

"Hematite..? That you..?" Zeolite forced his eyes open, and a light smile came to his face.

"I was hoping I'd get to see a familiar face that wasn't Bloodstone's before I was gone..."

Hematite's eyes were wide as he held Zeolite. "N-no, don't worry. The child can head your gem and..."

"That's pointless." Zeolite quoted.

Hematite's eyes widened at Zeolite's words.

"Heh... And here I thought I was the rational one of the two of us." Hematite smiled lightly.

"Nah, we're two pees in a pod..." Zeolite laughed lightly, and in an instant, he was gone.

"Uh..." Howlite watched as Zeolite disappeared from vision. His presence was gone from his mind, though his gem was nowhere to be seen.

Howlite guessed that he'd have to vomit that bit out if he wanted Zeolite fully gone.

Hematite stood slowly, his hair covering his eyes as he looked back, seeing Bloodstone standing at the top of the crater they stood in.

"That brat was always a pain in my neck. But Hematite, I thought more of you." Bloodstone shook his head.

"It just goes to show, you can't cure the disease that is weakness." Bloodstone said, a grin coming to his face as he loomed over Hematite.

"I had hoped that the death of the blind human would be enough for you to beat the sickness, but now I can see that not even Zeolite's death can cure you." Bloodstone sighed.

Hematite remained silent for a moment, before he smirked. "And here I thought you'd never admit your weakness."

"?!" Bloodstone's eyes widened. "How did you possibly get that out of what I just said?!"

Hematite's smirk widened.

"Pyrite."

One word.

One trigger.

Rage flashed across Bloodstone's face, and he roared as he shot off the ground at Hematite, who stood calm.

"I've learned something from my times on this planet." Hematite blocked the scythe swinging at him from above with both blades as he winced, struggling to keep the attack at bay.

"And what might that have been?!" Bloodstone seethed. "How to stab someone in the back?!"

"No no, not that..." Hematite chuckled lightly, displaying a lack of fear that irritated Bloodstone to no bounds.

"I learned that you're just as weak as the rest of us."

Bloodstone snarled, pulling back one foot and slamming it into Hematite, throwing him back through the air, where he flipped, landing on his feet just in time to dodge the next scythe swing.

He spun, stabbing at Bloodstone as he blocked his next swing with his other blade, and he felt his blade sink into Bloodstone's shoulder.

Bloodstone snarled, pulling back his head to headbutt Hematite, who easily dodged, bringing his knee up into Bloodstone's chin as retaliation.

Hematite grinned as Bloodstone jumped back, wiping blood from his lip. "What is it with you weaklings always getting stronger out of nowhere?!"

"Have you ever considered that you're just getting weaker?"

Bloodstone roared as he shot off the ground at Hematite, who dodged with ease. He was so loud, as long as he kept him this angry, he'd defeat him with ease.

Hematite wasn't too optimistic however. Bloodstone wasn't an idiot. He'd catch on soon enough.

Hematite would have to hold him off for as long as possible.

* * *

Howlite forced himself to his feet, stumbling towards the battle.

"Howlite, wait!" Lapis and Steven slid into the crater.

"I can't... I can't let anyone else die..!" Howlite said back at them, reached slowly for a foot hold to pull himself from the crater.

As he did, he felt something grab him by the leg.

He looked down to see Steven wrapping himself around one of his legs, and an image of the boy he'd met in Empire City flashed before his eyes.

"Howlite, just let us help you!" Steven said, and Howlite couldn't bring himself to glare at him.

"Just get the damn healing over with, kid..." Howlite slid down to the ground, and Steven smiled.

Hematite flew backwards above the crater, skidding on his feet on the other side of it as Bloodstone shot across after him.

Bloodstone swung his scythe at him from the left, and Hematite blocked with one sword.

There was a shock wave of power, and Hematite's sword cracked.

As Hematite winced, his sword shattered, shards of its blade flying through the air as Bloodstone grinned.

Bloodstone forced out another shock wave of power, forcing the shards of the blade forward into Hematite, making him stumble back as his skin was sliced open.

"You were a fool to challenge me swordsmen!" Bloodstone roared as he pulled back one fist, throwing it forward at Hematite, who blocked with his remaining sword.

The sword shattered upon impact, and his fist shot through, slamming into Hematite's abdomen.

Hematite hunched over his fist, coughing blood.

"Hmph." Bloodstone watched Hematite fall to his knees, smirking. "You're kind were strong Hematite, but take away their swords, and what do you get?"

Hematite shot up, slamming his fist into Bloodstone's face, much to his shock. In all of the years Bloodstone had worked with Hematite, he had never punched anyone.

"A very pissed gem with two broken swords." Hematite answered simply.

His cloak fell to the ground, revealing a sheathed katana strapped horizontally across his lower back.

It's sheath seemed to have a painting of a Chinese Dragon on it.

"You keep a third sword on you?" Bloodstone arched a brow at Hematite. "You know you can just summon your weapon out of you Gem, right?"

"Certain swords are not meant to be hidden." Hematite said, grabbing the hilt of the sword. "And this one was a gift from that Blind Human you mentioned."

Hematite pulled the blade from it's sheath, snarling. "Shinigami Kyōkan!" Hematite said. "Death God Slayer!"

The blade shun with a light that almost made Bloodstone hiss.

Hematite shot forward, stabbing at Bloodstone, who barely managed to dodge, the blade going by his ear.

Hematite spun, swinging the blade at Bloodstone's head. Bloodstone barely managed to duck under the blade. He noticed a bit of his hair had been sliced off, and watched as it seemed to burn in a white fire as it fell.

"What is that thing?!" Bloodstone jumped back, blocking another blade swing with his scythe blade, watching as his scythe seemed to crack.

"A blade made for killing monsters like you!" Hematite shot forward at Bloodstone, who jumped back, blocking with the large handle of his scythe, watching as it sliced through as if his scythe was made of butter!

Hematite's blade shot through piercing through Bloodstone's chest!

Bloodstone's eyes widened in pain, and he let out a roar to the burning pain coming from the blade coming into his chest and coming out of his back.

Bloodstone glared at Hematite, one eye shut as the other winced. "Well, I'll give you credit... This hurts like hell." Bloodstone grabbed Hematite by the throat, making Hematite gasp.

"But it's nothing a little healing won't fix." Bloodstone grinned as his hand began to glow black, and Hematite could feel his energy being drained away.

"N-No!" Hematite chocked, his grip on the sword loosening.

Bloodstone grabbed the blade, pulling it from his body. "It was a good try, I'll give you that."

Hematite could feel his physical form fading as he watched Bloodstone's wounds healed.

Bloodstone's laughter filled his ears as his eyes slowly shut.

That was until he felt something grab his hand, hands wrapping around his own around the sword, forcing it up and slicing Bloodstone's arm clean off!

Hematite fell back as he was dropped, being caught and set down. When Bloodstone's arm hit the ground, it lit up in a white fire.

Bloodstone roared, grabbing his stump of an arm. "You disgusting, pathetic Pearl! You dare interfere with what I am doing?!"

Pearl smirked, Hematite's eyes widening as he heard his savior be named.

"If anyone's going to defeat Hematite," Pearl smirked, pointing at herself with her thumb. "It's gonna be me."

Bloodstone snarled, shooting off the ground at her.

As he did, something spun down from above him, placing one of its on the ground and kicking up into his chin, throwing him upward through the air.

He spun, landing on his feet and glaring as Howlite jumped from his hands to his feet.

Howlite glared over his shoulder at Bloodstone as he walked towards Hematite and Pearl.

Lapis landed on the ground, holding Steven.

"You all need to go, get everyone else, and get the hell out of here." Howlite said, his eyes narrowing.

"What?!" Hematite exclaimed.

"You can't beat him on your own!" Pearl protested.

"We won't just leave you here to die!" Lapis said.

"You don't have a choice!" Howlite snapped, everyone reeling back in surprise.

"Look, that army isn't gonna stay down forever, and once they reform, they'll be continuing their march here. And whoever is here when they get here is as good as dead."

Lapis's eyes widened, and she looked down.

"So you guys need to go find someplace safe to regroup and come up with a plan to stop these bastards. Meanwhile, I'll hold off this asshole for as long as it takes." Howlite said sternly.

Everyone remained silent, and Howlite looked as though he'd remembered something.

"Oh, Hematite," Howlite opened his hands, and he seemed to be gagging as a certain lump came back up his throat. White shards fell out of his mouth and onto his hands, magically not having any saliva on them.

"I thought you might want these." Howlite handed Hematite the shards, and Hematite was shocked into silence.

They all stared at Howlite. "Uh..." Howlite arched a brow at them. "Is there something in my teeth?"

In the next instant, all of them with the exception of Hematite, who instead shook his hand, had grabbed Howlite, pulling him into a hug.

"H-hey!" Howlite exclaimed. "Let go of me!"

They didn't.

Howlite went silent.

He had always thought he'd die in the position Bloodstone was in.

He had always thought that no one would mourn his death.

he had always thought that he was the villain.

He had always thought that Gems would dance on his grave.

He never thought he'd die the hero. He never thought he'd have someone to soak his shirt with tears before he died. He never thought he was a hero. He never thought someone would drop any flowers on _his_ grave.

And he never thought he needed a hug as much as he did.

He felt himself returning the hug, eyes still wide.

They let go of him, and Steven grinned up at him. "You're no monster, you're just a big softy."

Howlite rolled his eyes, pushing Steven forward. "Go on. All of you get outta here, I've got a Reaper to fight."

Steven nodded, and as they all turned around to walk away, Lapis stopped, and as Howlite glared back at Bloodstone, Lapis stepped back to him, kissing him on the cheek.

Howlite's face immediately lit up in red, and Lapis smiled. "I expect you to come back." She said sternly.

Howlite had wanted to answer with "Lower your expectations" but it instead came out as "It's a promise."

And with that the Crystal Gems were taking their leave, leaving an unofficial member behind.

Howlite looked back to Bloodstone, who had a black energy forming around his stump arm, which forming into the rest of it, healing it.

 _I'm okay with this._ Howlite found himself thinking. _I've had a good run._

"Do you really think you can hold me off?" Bloodstone asked. "You can't use that filthy beast, Zeolite's gone, and you're all alone."

"I've still got one trick up my sleeve, Cuddle Bucket." Howlite smirked.

 ** _Now remind me again Cuddly, what was that last resort?  
_**

* * *

 **I would say booyah mother f#ckers again, but Howlite already said it.  
**

 **This is officially the longest chapter I've ever typed, so please remember that before throwing another bottle.  
**

 **Next chapter will probably all just be Howlite V Bloodstone.  
**

 **And this chapter gave a tiny glimpse into Hematite's background, and a certain character that... Totally won't be a character later.**

 **Damn I'm so good at foreshadowing.**

 **There was also another peek at Bloodstone's background.**

 **So there's that.**

 **So who is Pyrite?**

 **Who is Citrine?**

 **Who was this Blind Human?**

 **What was the Reaper Experiment?**

 **What was The Dome?**

 **I'm sure it'll be explained at some point!  
**

 **Next time!**

 **On Just**

 **Another**

 **Stone!**

 **Anyways, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	39. Chapter 38: Life Of A Monster

**Thanks go to Primus1661,** **Kagehime-sama53,** **, Guest, ArticFox319,** **Hollyberry of Skyclan, Jak Fortune, ShadowFighter2, SpectorChris, and Fade-Like-We-Never-Existed.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

A cold wind blew between the two.

It seemed as though they stood there for eternity, staring one another down. Usually one would see the ones in this situation to be complete opposites, but these two were all too the same.

So there they stood, not like looking into an opposite reality, but more like looking into a mirror.

Hatred.

Anger.

Blood lust.

They both loathed one another.

One what the other had been, the other what one could have been.

A battle between monsters.

All masks were off.

The clouds in the sky threatened to rain, and thunder boomed as they shot off the ground at one another.

 **Chapter 38: Life of a Monster, Death of a Hero**

 **Bad (Evil) Vs Evil (Bad)**

 **"Remember child, not all heroes get their happy ending."**

* * *

Howlite caught a scythe blade in his teeth, jumping over it and kicking at Bloodstone, who dodged to the side, spinning and attempting to elbow Howlite in the back, Howlite back flipping over it and sending another kick at his face, which was blocked.

Howlite landed on his feet, catching a punch with his face, stumbling slightly before the punch was followed up by another to the gut, throwing him up into the air, where Bloodstone spun, kicking at Howlite, who blocked with his forearm, wincing slightly.

Howlite spun, placing his feet on the ground and grabbing hold of Bloodstone's arm, throwing him over his shoulder and into the dirt, landing on his back and jumping up to dodge Howlite's attempt to stomp on his face, spinning in air and swinging his scythe at Howlite, who just barely ducked under it, the scythe swinging over his head before he jumped up, pulling back his leg and sending it forward into Bloodstone's face, making him stumble back.

Howlite landed on his feet, bursting forward and ramming his shoulder into Bloodstone's abdomen, carrying him across the rubble and slamming him into a pile of it, letting it crumble down on top of him.

Bloodstone shot from the rubble, ramming his elbow into Howlite's abdomen, throwing him back as he jumped up, slamming his fist into Howlite's face and throwing him back into the ground.

As Bloodstone landed on his feet, Howlite back flipped out of the rubble, landing on his feet as Bloodstone shot forward at him, pulling back one fist and slamming it into his face, throwing him violently back across the rubble, slamming through multiple piles of it before reaching a building, slamming into it and being stuck in the side of it.

Howlite's eyes snapped open to see Bloodstone directly in front of him, pulling back one glowing hand and throwing it forward, blasting Howlite from point blank, throwing him back through the building as he was engulfed in the blast, bouncing across the ground and hitting a wall of stone, being stopped and falling to the ground.

Howlite groaned, climbing to his hands and knees before he was pulled up by his hair to be eye level with Bloodstone.

"I could remind you of how worthless you are, but I'd rather hit you again." Bloodstone grinned from ear to ear, pulling back his free fist and slamming it into Howlite's face, dropping Howlite just to catch him by the face with the fist that had held him.

Howlite fell to the ground, groaning as blood seeped from the cuts and bruises just put on his face.

Bloodstone pulled back one foot, kicking Howlite in the stomach and throwing him up into the air, where he pulled back another leg, catching him with another kick that sent him flying across the Utopia.

Howlite smashed through the wall of another building, finding himself laying on tiles torn up by tufts of grass.

He quickly jumped into the shadows of the building, rain beginning to fall outside as Bloodstone walked into the building, looking around the darkness for Howlite, who panted rapidly.

 _Okay... If I use the Last Resort... I could be a danger to everyone. But I can't keep fighting him like this... Damn it, There's no way out of this that doesn't-  
_

Bloodstone's arm shot through the wall Howlite hid behind, wrapping around his neck, pulling him through the wall and throwing him out into the open.

"Aw, don't tell me your scared already." Bloodstone grinned. "What happened to that trick up your sleeve? Was that just a bluff?"

"Keep talkin', asshole." Howlite smirked, his metal maw appearing.

Bloodstone's eyes narrowed, and he shot forward, catching Howlite by the face and smashing him through the wall behind him.

as Bloodstone pushed Howlite's head into the mud, staining his white hair, Howlite brought up one hand, grabbing Bloodstone by the throat and digging his nails into his throat.

Bloodstone's grin became more psychopathic than usual.

"Yes, struggle in the mouth of the bird little worm! AHAHAHAHA!" Bloodstone laughed, forcing Howlite's head into the mud puddle forming below it.

Howlite's legs shot up into his chest, tearing him off and making Howlite shoot up, gasping for breath.

"Crazy son of a bitch..." Howlite muttered as he climbed to his feet.

"You're one to talk." Bloodstone grinned.

"Honestly Howlite, who are you trying to fool?" Bloodstone asked, twirling his scythe.

"You think you're better than me?!" Bloodstone suddenly snapped with a grin.

He shot off the ground at Howlite, kneeing him in the chest and sending him back through the air.

He appeared above him, slamming both feet down on Howlite's chest, slamming him down into the mud.

"You're no better than me! A freak, a monster! People cower when they hear your name! You have no friends, no family!" Bloodstone kicked Howlite, stomping on his face.

Howlite just laid there. His face being smashed into mud. Rain pelting him. His ribs being kicked and broken. His eyes distant.

"Honestly, pretending you're better than me. Pretending you're a hero..." Bloodstone knelt down, grabbing Howlite by the hair and pulling him up.

"Where do you get off?"

Howlite chuckled weakly, spitting blood into Bloodstone's face. "Where do I get off?" He asked. "Probably somewhere in Blue Diamond's-"

Howlite was cut off, Bloodstone slamming his fist into his face and forcing him back into the mud. "You filthy ingrate!"

Bloodstone kicked Howlite again, and Howlite didn't so much as groan in pain. He just grinned lightly. "Oh come on, you walked right into that one..."

Bloodstone spat on Howlite, kicking him and stomping on him again. "That only proves my point even more! You aren't a hero, you're just some glorified trash!"

Howlite remained silent.

"I know you don't really care for those people, I know you better than you know you." Bloodstone grinned, pressing his foot down on Howlite's chest.

"So why are you here?! Is it to make you feel like the hero you're never gonna be? Or were you arrogant enough to think you could beat me? Perhaps you just wanted to eat my power. You pathetic dog!"

"You're... Wrong..." Howlite choked, attempting to keep Bloodstone's foot from crushing his sternum.

"You really think prolonging the death of those Crystal Clowns is going to make up for all of the horrible things you've done in all of your miserable life?"

Howlite just stared at the sky, not hearing Bloodstone's words.

"Honestly, you're the result of someone eating their twin in the womb! Accept you ate both of them!" Bloodstone slammed his foot down on Howlite's chest once more, making him cough blood.

"You're never gonna be more than you are now! A pathetic dog, gasping for breath and coughing blood as he's crushed under the weight of a freight train!"

Howlite's hands clenched onto Bloodstone's foot.

"Eh?" Bloodstone stopped his speech, looking down at Howlite.

"You think I don't know that..?" Howlite asked. "I know there are some debts I can't repay..."

Bloodstone found himself stepping back off of Howlite, watching him rise.

"I'm not here for a hero's trophy..." Howlite said, stumbling as he stood.

 ** _Are you finally ready?_**

 _"Yeah... Yeah I guess I am."  
_

 _Howlite reached out to the beast as the cage door opened, it's chains falling to the ground._

 _His hand touched it's snout, and a glowing illuminated the room._

 ** _Your twins would be proud to see this._**

 _"If they were anything like me, they'd be disgusted."  
_

"You and I are going to hell, there's no doubt about that..." Howlite said, and Bloodstone grit his teeth.

"But don't even think about dragging this planet, it's inhabitants, or even those Crystal Gems down with us!"

White energy exploded out around Howlite, and his scrawny form began to bulk.

A pillar of white energy exploded into the sky, the clouds being blown away.

Lightning struck around the pillar, thunder booming as the very earth trembled in fear.

"YOU DIRTY TWISTED BASTARD!"

Howlite's hair grew as the pillar of energy twisted around him, falling down around his shoulders. His hands grew claws, his teeth becoming fangs.

"What the hell is this?!" Bloodstone questioned, holding up his arms to block from the rubble being thrown around.

"This isn't the Man Eater, and this isn't the World Eater!" Bloodstone said, sliding back across the dirt.

The pillar of light faded away, and Howlite stood tall.

"You..." Bloodstone's teeth grit as he felt the energy that radiated from Howlite, who looked at his own hands, looking himself over.

"Who the hell are you?! What the hell are you?!"

Howlite looked up from his hands to Bloodstone, and an open mouthed grin came to his face. "Me? Well isn't it obvious?"

"I'm the God Eater."

* * *

Lapis spun around as fast as she could, as did the rest of the gems. They saw the pillar of light reach into the sky.

"What is that?!" Steven asked, the roar of power being heard even from their distance.

"I don't know..." Lapis said.

"It's so... Light..." Steven said.

"Yet it feels so tainted..." Pearl said.

Hematite smirked. "That's Howlite alright."

* * *

Bloodstone almost looked scared for a moment, that was until he burst into laughter.

"You? A God Eater?" Bloodstone laughed harder. "Yeah, right! And I spend my free time at a soup kitchen!"

"All you're doing is trying to scare me off, and it's not gonna-"

Bloodstone was thrown across the rubble at a speed that made a sonic boom, seeming to have broken the sound barrier as he exploded into a mountain of rubble.

Howlite grinned, hearing Bloodstone's scream of pain as he climbed from the rubble. His jaw was broken apart, and his blood dripped to the ground.

"What... The hell... Was that?" Bloodstone said, black energy forming around his broken jaw.

"It was but a sample." Howlite said, cracking his knuckles as he walked towards Bloodstone.

Bloodstone's eye twitched, and he roared in anger, shooting off the ground at Howlite, pulling back one fist and throwing it forward at his face.

His fist stopped before making contact, and his hand broke backwards, a shock wave of power throwing him back through the air!

Howlite watched with minor amusement as Bloodstone held his broken hand, rolling on the ground in pain and agony.

His hand was bent back into place, and he stood slowly, glaring and snarling at Howlite.

"Oh great, these ups and downs just never get old!" Bloodstone said with sarcasm, pulling back his glowing hand.

He threw his hand forward, firing a wave of energy at Howlite.

Howlite walked forward, the blast being divided before reaching him, the ground around Howlite being blown away as he walked slowly towards Bloodstone.

Bloodstone's eyes widened as Howlite's hand shot from the black energy, grabbing him by the face.

"You're energy isn't even worth eating." Howlite said, pulling back his other fist as he pulled Bloodstone into the air, slamming his fist into Bloodstone's abdomen.

A shock wave threw dust away from the two, and Bloodstone coughed blood into Howlite's hand, feeling his rubs shatter from one punch.

Howlite grinned as Bloodstone's limbs went limp, and he dropped him, catching him with a kick that sent him flying through the rubble, exploding through buildings and being thrown through the Gem Utopia, flying out into the grassland that surrounded it.

Bloodstone's eyes opened slowly, and he coughed blood, grabbing his stomach in pain as Howlite walked through the crater towards him.

Bloodstone winced as he looked up at Howlite, who was alarmingly close compared to how far away he had been a moment ago.

"O-okay, this will all blow over... He'll run out of energy or something will distract him or something..." Bloodstone told himself, holding his side with one hand as he climbed to his feet, coughing more blood.

"Nope."

Bloodstone's eyes widened, and he looked up to see Howlite looming over him.

He roared, pulling back his fist and throwing it into Howlite's face. Where it was caught.

In Howlite's teeth.

Again.

Bloodstone's eyes narrowed, and he growled angrily. "Damn it, you're just some monster! You can't defeat me!"

Howlite found it funny. Bloodstone almost sounded like a child who wasn't getting his way.

"Well you're half right." Howlite's grin had a psychotic edge that sent chills down Bloodstone's spine.

"I am a monster."

Howlite's teeth clenched down, and Bloodstone roared as his hand was torn off, being chewed to bits and swallowed as Howlite jumped back.

Howlite landed on his feet, skidding slightly as Bloodstone snarled, pulling his scythe from his gem.

"But if I'm a monster, then you're just the poser pretending to be a monster."

Bloodstone's eyes widened in shock and anger. "What?! I am pure evil!"

"I've killed entire species! I've cut all ties with any humanity I might have had!"

"Ah ah, there it is." Howlite grinned darkly as he held up one finger, his teeth dripping blood.

"You had humanity to start with."

Bloodstone roared, shooting off the ground at Howlite. He swung his scythe at Howlite from the side.

Howlite reached out, stopping the blade in his palm.

"You said I was a predator pretending to be a prey? Well guess what buddy,"

Howlite seemed to loom over Bloodstone as his grin was from ear to ear.

"You're just some prey pretending to be a predator, and while standing in the Wolf Den, one of us real predators sniffed you out."

Bloodstone felt a splash of something he hadn't felt in awhile. He almost hadn't recognized it.

Bloodstone was afraid.

Howlite's knee shot forward into Bloodstone's chest, and Bloodstone hunched over in pain before Howlite pulled up his fists, conjoining them and slamming them down on the back of his head as he forced him up with his knee, sending him spiraling upward.

He appeared in front of Bloodstone, spinning and slamming his foot into the side of Bloodstone's head, throwing him across the field.

Bloodstone skidded violently across the ground, flipping and bouncing as he did so.

Howlite watched as Bloodstone forced himself to his feet, walking slowly towards the Reaper.

"Oh come on now, don't tell me the Almighty Reaper is afraid of death."

Howlite grinned as Bloodstone seethed with rage. "I should hope the irony is not lost on you."

Bloodstone shot off the ground at Howlite, pulling back one fist.

"I FEAR NOTHING AND NO ONE! I AM EVIL!"

Howlite ducked under Bloodstone's punch, pulling back his own fist and slamming it into Bloodstone's abdomen, throwing him into the air.

"No, you qualify as bad, and this is quite the Bad Meets Evil situation."

Bloodstone hit the ground, bouncing once. That splash of fear had become a wave of terror.

He had made a terrifying realization. Howlite could have done this the entire time.

Howlite was always holding back.

He hadn't been playing with Howlite, Howlite had been playing with him.

He never stood a chance.

Bloodstone looked up to see Howlite walked towards him, and he forced himself to sit up, looking up at Howlite as he backed away in fear.

"S-stay the hell away from me!" Bloodstone panicked. "you freak!"

"Remember rule two, dumbass?!" Howlite slammed his foot down on Bloodstone's leg, and the loud snap was followed by Bloodstone's scream of pain.

Howlite kicked Bloodstone in the face, throwing him into the air, where he pulled back one hand, white energy forming around it.

Just before Howlite fired, however, he felt a shock wave of pain, and grabbed his head.

He felt something a bit smaller than a pebble land on his tongue, and his eyes narrowed as he spat it into his hand.

It was a shard of his own gem.

His eyes widened at first, before he calmed himself.

 _It's okay... I knew that this would be the outcome.  
_

Howlite looked up to see Bloodstone laying motionless in the dirt. He looked over into the distance, and saw the army was slow approaching.

The Crystal Gems had escaped.

Bloodstone was almost dead.

Howlite knew that he could run right now. He could get that kid to heal him. He could live to see another day.

He could let Bloodstone live.

He could let more die.

He could put them in danger again.

he could be a coward.

Howlite walked towards Bloodstone, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and yanking him up from the dirt.

"P-please!" Bloodstone begged. "No more!" That wave of terror had become a hurricane of horror.

 _Blue Diamond, how much longer can you keep my gem together?  
_

 ** _Howlite, please... With the power you have now, you could go back to the child of Rose Quartz and he could heal-_**

 _Blue Diamond, how much time do I have?  
_

 ** _..._**

 _Blue Diamond.  
_

 ** _I might be able to keep you together for two more minutes at best..._**

 _...  
_

 ** _Howlite, you don't have to do this. What did these Earthlings ever do for you?_**

 _You once told me you didn't want the blood of your people on your hands. That you didn't want their extinction to be your fault.  
_

 ** _What does that have to do with-_**

 _Well this planet is my home. And these people are my people. And if I don't kill Bloodstone now, even more of their blood will be on my hands.  
_

 ** _Howlite..._**

 _For what it's worth, Blue Diamond, you weren't my least favorite person in my head.  
_

 ** _... Howlite, I'm sorry... Everything that I did to you..._**

 _...  
_

Howlite pulled back his free fist, slamming it directly into Bloodstone's gem!

Bloodstone was thrown into the ground, which gave way under him, becoming a crater in the earth that Bloodstone lay at the bottom of.

Howlite's eyes narrowed, looking at Bloodstone's gem.

It seemed to have a white energy barrier around it.

"Hmph... Makes sense that she would have given you that..." Howlite muttered, and Bloodstone reached up, touching his gem. His eyes widened as he realized that the barrier was cracked.

"Well then I suppose the least I can do is break that damn barrier to make it easier for the rest of them..." Howlite said, cracking his knuckles as he slid into the crater.

Bloodstone barely managed to look up, and he saw Howlite stumble, feeling a crack suddenly explode through his gem.

Hope flickered in Bloodstone, and he forced himself to sit up. He began to laugh. Nervously at first, before it grew to that psychotic tune that seemed so common nowadays.

"HA!" Bloodstone laughed. "I knew it!" He gloated. "I knew that this power couldn't last forever!"

Howlite grinned, grabbing Bloodstone and pulling him up by the collar of his shirt. "Yeah, but I've still got plenty of time to kill you..." Bloodstone wasn't sure if Howlite was gritting his teeth from anger or pain.

Bloodstone snarled, his scythe appearing in hand.

Howlite's metal maw appeared, and as Howlite chomped down on Bloodstone's gem, the barrier stopping his metal maw but cracking slowly, Bloodstone swung his scythe into Howlite's side.

Blood poured from Howlite's side, and spewed from his mouth and nose, but he didn't care.

His teeth clenched down harder, and with a resounding boom, the barrier shattered.

An explosion threw the two away from one another, and they slammed into opposite sides of the crater.

Howlite felt an explosion of cracks run through his gem, and he bit back a yell of pain.

30 seconds.

"Hah... Haha..." Bloodstone laughed weakly, grinning with blood on his teeth at Howlite. "You're going to die in vain. I can regenerate all of this in my gem... Everything you've worked for will be in vain..!"

Howlite was silent, his hair covering his eyes as blood seeped from his wounds.

As Bloodstone began to laugh harder, he realized someone was laughing with him.

Howlite was laughing.

Why the hell was Howlite laughing?!

How dare he laugh at a time like this?!

"What's so funny?!" Bloodstone demanded to know.

20 seconds.

"You're just so... Unbelievably dumb..." Howlite laughed, standing slowly, much to Bloodstone's horror.

"No matter how many times you heal in your gem, you're never going to forget what happened today..." Howlite said, grinning as he sauntered towards Bloodstone.

"No one ever should have been able to rise up and beat you... But someone did. Someone showed up, beat you into the dirt, and had you crying for your worthless little life like. A. Little. Bitch." Howlite's grin widened as Bloodstone backed away slowly, fear in his eyes.

"So you go on living. You live with this shame. You live until Matrix Garnet or Steven smash your shards. Because it doesn't take a monster to kill another monster. It takes a hero to kill a monster." Howlite picked Bloodstone up by the collar of his shirt, pulling back one fist.

10 seconds.

"and after they kill you, I'll find you in hell, AND I'LL BEAT YOU TO A BLOODY PULP!"

With his last bit of energy, Howlite slammed his fist into Bloodstone's gem, and a shock wave blew the army at the top of the crater away, sending soldiers flying through the air.

Bloodstone was thrown deep into the earth, and Howlite smiled weakly.

"So I'll die with friends and family... And you'll die motionless and alone..." Howlite fell back, landing on his back and starring at the sky as rain poured down on his face.

 _Huh... How pathetic of me. I actually let these pathetic earthlings get under my skin..._

Howlite's smile remained as he stared at the sky.

 _Lapis, I'm sorry... I couldn't keep my promise... Please, don't cry over me... I'm just some military dog, after all._

 _To think, the great military dog... A God Eater among men, could die like this... Heh, I really am pathetic.  
_

Howlite's vision faded in and out as it seemed his life was flashing before his eyes.

5 seconds.

As Howlite's vision became nothing but a blur, he felt something being pulled from his chest. No, wait, something was pulling itself from his chest.

 _Blue Diamond... Please help them in my absence..._

3 seconds.

 _Well Lignite, I hope you kept my seat warm..._

2 seconds.

Howlite watched as a blue light invaded the blur, and he felt himself being lifted from the ground. Was Blue Diamond... Holding him? He supposed it felt nice. Sure, he hated her, but now he knew that someone had cared enough about him to hold him here. In his final moments.

1 second.

 _Like I said, every dog has their day..._

0 seconds.

Howlite felt his eyes closing.

 ** _This one happened to be mine..._**

* * *

 **...  
**

 **...**

 **...**

 **I told myself I wouldn't cry...**

 **Okay, now I know some of you just want Bloodstone to die already. Honestly, I want him dead just as much as you guys do.**

 **So please, try to understand. The end of this ark will be everything that you hoped for and more. Just please, please be patient!**

 **I've actually been thinking about doing a short trailer chapter for the end of this ark, just to appease you people. You know who you are.**

 **But I bet a lot of you thought "This is going to be the end of it."**

 **"He would never kill off Howlite."**

 **"This has to be the end."**

 **Heh...**

 **For what it's worth, Howlite's arguably my favorite character.**

 **Just gonna leave you all to ponder that one.**

 **Anyways, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	40. Chapter 39: Crippled

**Thanks go to** **Kagehime-sama53, Mr. Haziq, Guest, Guest, Jak Fortune,** **ArcticFox319,** **Hollyberry of Skyclan, and Blue Topaz The 5th.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

 **Fun Fact: For the rest of this saga, I will be doing small references to earlier chapters. There were two last chapter. Let's see if you can catch all of them.  
**

* * *

Pain.

That was the first thing Bloodstone noticed as he felt his eyes opening slowly.

He had almost thought that last attack had killed him, but as he looked around the hole he was buried in, he realized that he was very much alive.

He couldn't bring himself to sit up. His entire body throbbed with pain.

He managed to bring up his left arm, touching the surface of his gem.

His eyes widened in horror.

It was cracked.

* * *

Blue Diamond reformed in a flash of blue, and stumbled slightly, looking around.

"Well... I almost forgot what it's like to be out of him..." She hadn't planned for this. She had planned to lend her power to Howlite and keep him on track. If she made him feel like a monster, Then he'd try to be a hero.

If he tried to be a hero, then he'd help defeat Yellow Diamond.

But instead she'd gotten him killed.

Her eyes finally reached Howlite, and they widened.

He lay there. Broken, bloody. His physical form had yet to fade, and it was easy to see how damaged it was. It shifted slightly, and she felt sick.

She had gotten him killed.

She felt herself kneel down, grabbing hold of Howlite and pulling him into an embrace. She felt terrible. She had thought so much ahead. She had thought out how to kill each of her sisters, her brother...

And even...

She didn't want to think about that. It still terrified her.

But she had used Howlite as pawn the entire way.

She hadn't thought about it for the majority of it.

But in the past few months, she had been realizing he was more than just a pawn. She had spent time as part of him, and in that spare time she had poked around him memories.

Her eyes clenched shut, and she almost vomited. She felt sick. Oh so sick of what she had done.

Her eyes opened, and she realized something strange.

Howlite still hadn't disappeared.

"Why haven't you..?" Blue Diamond trailed off, arching a brow at Howlite.

 ** _Diamond Child, I need you to listen._**

 _H-huh?_ Blue Diamond recognized the voice immediately. _Cuddly?_

 ** _Ugh... That's not my name! I am the World Eater damn it- Oh, it's not important! Howlite is dying, and when he dies, I come out._**

 _What do you want me to do about it?  
_

 ** _I'm using the God Eater energy that still remains in his system to keep him alive. You've got about seventy five seconds before that runs out._**

 _But what am I supposed to-_ _  
_

 ** _You get him to Pink Diamond's child!_**

 _What? There's no way that I could get there fast eno-  
_

 ** _When he dies, I'm taking another host! And if you keep this up, it'll be you! So you run, you get to that kid, and you save Howlite before I devour you!_**

 _Huh... You cared about him too, huh?  
_

 ** _J-just run!  
_**

Blue Diamond found herself jolting up, running towards the Warp pad in the distance. The army cleared a path for her. Sure, they had surrounded them, but they were cowardly, and one of the Four Diamond Children wasn't easy to stand up to.

And Bloodstone was nowhere to be found. So did that mean that...

They weren't taking any chances.

* * *

Steven sat quietly on his couch, starring at the ground. Connie had woken up and went home after being filled in. Beach City was still being rebuilt.

Hematite remained silent as he sat, looking out the window. Lapis was sitting at the foot of Steven's bed, starring at her own hands.

Pearl was picking up random things to help take her mind off of the horrible things going on.

Emerald had reformed and, after checking to make sure Feldspare's and Fluorite's gems were intact, went back to his apartment to talk with his remaining robonoid. Sure, It couldn't talk back, but it was kind of like talking to a pet.

Ruby and Sapphire had awoken, and before Sapphire got the chance to ask what happened, Ruby burst out with "Did anybody die?!"

Pearl sighed, looking down. "Tiger and Zeolite were killed, and Howlite showed up at the fight, and stayed behind to let us escape... So he's most likely-"

"He's not dead!" Lapis said, glaring at Pearl. "He promised he would come back, so he will..." Lapis looked down.

"..." Pearl thought about responding with the ugly truth, but decided against it. "... Yes, Of course..."

"He's dead. It's obvious." Hematite said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Everyone almost cringed at his honesty, and Ruby immediately jumped in front of Sapphire, her gauntlet appearing. "What are you doing here?!"

"Relax, short one. I'm on your side now..." Hematite said, looking back out the window.

"Short one?! Why I outta-"

"Ruby, please calm down. He's lost a friend. Let him be." Sapphire said, and Ruby looked as if she was about to respond with something nasty before sighing.

"Arguing with you is pointless..." She said in defeat. "You always look into the future and know how to respond..."

"Yet you still try every time." Sapphire said calmly.

"Okay, now you're trying to start something!" Ruby fumed.

"Can you two just fuse already?" Hematite said, arching a brow at them. "You're a lot less irritating that way."

"THAT TEARS IT!"

Ruby tackled Hematite, much to his shock as she attempted to strangle the life out of him.

"Stop! All of you!" Pearl attempted to intervene.

"Yeah! We've all been through a lot, please just calm down so we can work this all out!" Steven said, but as Hematite attempted to pry Ruby's hands away from his throat, the warp pad lit up.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, looking in shock to the one standing on the warp pad.

Blue Diamond panted, holding Howlite on her back. "I hate to interrupt but he's on a time limit here." She said, looking around frantically before spotting Steven, running to him and placing Howlite down in front of him.

"Heal him!" She demanded.

"But-"

"You've got ten seconds!"

Steven flinched, licking his hand immediately and opening Howlite's mouth. He was shocked to see the cracked and broken gem that was in there.

he pushed back the shock as fast as he could, and he pressed his hand to the gem.

They all watched with anticipation for the gem to heal, and after a moment of stillness, a glow came from Howlite's mouth. His gem slowly forced itself back together, having just been shards placed around each other at that point.

Steven sighed, sitting back. Blue Diamond sighed as well, falling to her knees before Howlite.

"Oh thank Space God..." Blue Diamond said, laughing lightly with relief.

That was until all of the weapons that could have been summoned were summoned, all being aimed at her.

"Uh..." She laughed nervously. "I suppose I have some explaining to do, huh?"

* * *

 _Where... Where am I..?  
_

Howlite found himself floating in a blank abyss.

It didn't look like hell. It didn't feel like hell. Then again, being alone in nothingness did sound... Unbelievably boring.

What a hell, he thought.

Well, It was nice and calm. No fighting. No need to save others. No worries. And especially no voices in his head.

"This isn't hell."

Accept for that one, Of course.

"Trust me, if you were in hell you'd know it."

"Well then Heaven has certainly gone down hill." Howlite responded easily.

He didn't believe in space god, so he had to assume that this booming voice was just another voice in his head to bother him.

"You aren't there, either." It spoke, a hint of irritation in its voice.

Howlite smirked lightly at the sound of annoyance. "Then I'm in some sort of Limbo?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

"Being straight forward isn't really my thing."

"And that right there is why I don't believe in you."

"Even though you are speaking to me right now?"

"I've had voices in my head before."

"..." the voice was silent for a moment. "You're amusing."

"Well la de da." Howlite responded, putting his hands behind his head and closing eyes as he put his feet up on the nothingness that he floated in.

There it was again. That silence.

As if Howlite had stumped him.

"Not too many gems come through here anymore." It said, and Howlite arched a brow at the darkness, opening one eye.

"Three of them should have pretty recently."

"Meh. Side characters."

"... What?"

"Uh... It's not important."

"..." Howlite remained silent for a moment, as if thinking about something. "... You're no God." He said after a moment of thought.

"No, I suppose not."

"Then who are you? What are you?"

As it seemed that the being was about to answer, a glowing entered the abyss.

"Oh darn..." It said as Howlite floated upright before the glowing doorway. It called to him.

"It seems our conversation will be cut short... And here I wanted to speak to you some more. Oh well..." It sighed as Howlite looked over his shoulder back at the abyss.

"But you still have time to answer me."

"well sure I do, but I won't."

"Why?"

"Because I'm just that awful." It answered, and if it had a face, it would have grinned.

"Wait, I've got one more question."

"Which is?"

"Why did you appear before me?"

"Well that's simple."

Another grin vibe came as Howlite felt himself being sucked into the light portal.

"You're arguably my favorite."

* * *

Howlite's eyes snapped open, and he found himself to be, once again, passed out on Steven's couch.

He glanced around slowly, and noticed that Steven, Lapis, and Connie were all staring down at him.

"Uh..." He said, arching a brow at them. "Hi?"

They all smiled at once, and Howlite sighed. He would have liked to believe that seeing this would have made him feel all warm and fuzzy and good, but it just didn't. He simply wasn't that kind of person.

Howlite sat up slowly and looked around.

Hematite and Garnet stood guard over a docile Blue Diamond, who stared at him in shock as he sat up. As if she still hadn't believed he'd survived.

Pearl watched over all of the Gems placed on the counter.

Howlite looked out the window. The sun was rising.

"I... I shouldn't be here..." Howlite said, looking down at his hands.

"Blue Diamond got you all the way here before your gem finished breaking!" Steven said, grinning happily.

Howlite glanced over at Blue Diamond, who half grinned, half smiled at him.

"Blue Diamond... Saved me..?" He said, as if still trying to contemplate everything that had happened.

Howlite's eyes narrowed. "Let her go, you two."

Garnet and Hematite glanced at once another before lowering their weapons, letting Blue Diamond walk past them. "About time..." She muttered.

She stood before Howlite, and the two stared at one another. They weren't sure how they felt about one another anymore.

"Uh..." Blue Diamond could feel Lapis's eyes burning holes in the back of her head, so she looked over at her, laughing nervously.

"Sorry about uh... Making Howlite lock you in a mirror and then trying to obliterate you... No hard feelings?" She extended her hand to Lapis, who didn't acknowledge it.

When Steven saw Lapis not taking Blue Diamond's hand, he quickly jumped in, shaking her hand in Lapis's place.

"Welcome to the Crystal Gems!" He grinned happily.

Blue Diamond put on a face that Howlite had never seen her use before.

In the next instant, she had scooped Steven up, hugging him tightly as if he was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen.

"Oh, you're so tiny and adorable!" She exclaimed, grinning happily as Steven laughed, partly from Blue Diamond's actions and partly from the shocked look on all of their faces.

"I've never had a nephew before!" Did Blue Diamond giggle after saying that?

Steven was confused by her words once again, recalling what Bloodstone had said to him.

 _"I'm sure your aunt would be oh so happy to meet you."_

Everyone else clearly hadn't wanted her to say that, judging from the looks on their faces.

"... What?" Blue Diamond asked them, but Steven pretended to be oblivious. He knew that the Gems would keep this from him, so he couldn't let them think that he wanted to know.

Steven would have to ask someone who would give him a straight answer.

That left him one person...

* * *

Bloodstone lay on a bed that almost resembled a tanning bed.

Gems bodies were made of light, so to heal a gem without making them return to their gem, they used light technology.

But for how damaged Bloodstone was... It would take a few days.

And they had nothing for the small crack at the center of his gem. No matter how advanced Gem Tech got, they had never developed anything beyond the rare healing powers that some gems had.

Those gems were kept as healers on Homeworld for important Gems.

Bloodstone would have to retreat to Homeworld...

* * *

Howlite attempted to stand, stumbling and falling back onto the chair.

"What's going on..?" He asked himself, but someone answered anyway.

"Your gem was very damaged... There's only so much Steven's healing can do. I'm surprised you even survived..." Pearl looked down.

"What are you saying?"

"Your gem will be having trouble keeping your bodies light structure together... So your muscles will be weaker unless you use extra energy to keep them together... But if you do that, you'll be burning through energy faster. So I suggest you only do it in battle. After a few months everything should be normal, but as for using that... Wolf thing..."

"What about it?"

"You won't be able to do that without potentially destroying your gem for years..."

Howlite looked down.

All of the other Gems were off doing something else, and Blue Diamond was out on the deck, as they all still had to keep a close eye on her, Hematite as well for that matter.

Howlite grit his teeth, and from his gem a crutch appeared.

It wasn't a usual crutch, it had a handle coming out towards the holder for them to hold, and had a cuff to wrap around the forearm.

He said nothing as he picked up the crutch, standing slowly and leaving the house.

Pearl thought about saying something, but decided against it.

Howlite was going through his own stuff, and that was none of her business.

* * *

Emerald walked through the city, his robonoid sitting on his head.

"Pretty gloomy, Eh Rob?" Emerald glanced up at his robonoid, who nodded.

It had been about three days since their fight with Bloodstone.

Matrix hadn't left his apartment in that time. None of them bothered going in.

Tiger was dead.

Emerald cringed lightly. Matrix was running out of people to protect...

Howlite could be found at Lignite's grave. Lapis and Steven had tried to talk to him, but he never responded.

Emerald worried for his friend. He was so broken...

Blue Diamond was kept under close watch, but she didn't do much.

Hematite had disappeared, but he was still in the city, as every now and again someone would find a boulder at the beach or a steel support beam being used for reconstruction sliced in two.

Emerald stopped by the slowly being rebuilt "It's a Wash."

He sat in the lawn chair that had managed to survive, and looked around. Greg was currently at the beach, staying with Steven. The construction workers seemed to be on break, off doing something else.

Emerald looked around once more to make sure he and Rob the Robonoid were alone before his gem glowed, and a small cooler appeared in a flash of green.

He opened the cooler, and pulled out a glass bottle that seemed to contain alcohol.

He popped off the cap, and threw back his head as he chugged the bottle.

He threw it to the ground, watching it shatter.

Watching it shatter like a gem.

He opened another, doing the same.

Soon enough, a pile of shattered glass lay before him.

He reached for the second to last bottle, picking it up.

As he did, he looked at the label.

He didn't bother reading the words. The only thing that had caught his eye was the animal on it.

The Tiger on it.

His hand clenched into a fist, and the bottle shattered, shards of it sticking through his hand.

Emerald stared at his hand with a twitching expression. Not an insane one, but the one you put on when you're trying not to laugh.

Or trying not to cry.

Emerald buried his face in his hands, and only Rob could hear the sobbing that followed.

Emerald had came to this planet to the one he considered to be his best friend.

Emerald had made other 'friends' here, but he didn't particularly care for too many of them.

Everything he had been through since he came to this planet.

Moonstone and Sunstone.

Lignite.

Blue Diamond.

And now Bloodstone.

Everyone else wanted something outside of their routine on Homeworld, but not Emerald.

Emerald liked doing the same thing over and over. it was so easy. It wasn't a constant terror. He liked being around the other Emeralds, he liked being around his army of robonoids.

He liked only having to fight weak opponents, and he liked only having to do it on occasion.

But now he was here. All of the other Emerald's thought he was a dirty traitor.

Tiger was dead. One of the few people who he really considered to be a good friend back on Homeworld was dead and gone.

He had tried to get another repetitive, awful job just to try to fill the void, and now he was looking at the rubble it had become.

So here he was. One robonoid, one kind-of-friend, and a crush on an amazon.

Emerald laughed lightly, sitting up slowly and pulling his face away from his hands.

"Y'know, Rob, when I started this whole 'life' thing, I had everything planned out to the end." Emerald said, sighing.

Rob looked up from the top of the cooler to him.

"I was gonna live for a few thousand years, never really acknowledge my strange fetish for woman two and a half feet taller than me, wait to become obsolete, then go AWAL, go to a planet that I think is nice, sit back with a cold Space Beer, and have a friend put a bullet in my gem when I wasn't lookin'."

Emerald sighed, opening his last drink before reaching into his pocket, pulling out what looked to be a revolver.

He looked at it, as if thinking, before it disappeared into his gem. "Maybe some other time... If Amazonite gets killed or something."

He looked down, seeing a familiar earth child, sifting through the broken glass and putting it into a bag as if to use it for a weapon or a prank later.

Emerald picked Onion up, placing him on his shoulders. "Come on kid, you shouldn't be out here."

Emerald began walking towards Onion's home, Rob jumping down from the top of the cooler and walking after them.

* * *

Hematite sat at the top of an ancient, or ancient looking, temple.

In one hand he held Zeolite's shards, in the other he held Death God Slayer.

"You probably would have had some wise thing to say about this, eh, old man?" Hematite glanced at the blade.

"I might have finally found a rival to match you... Only problem is I'll have to train her up to it." Hematite said, looking at and speaking with the sword as if it were a person.

Hematite placed the sword back, hidden behind his cloak once again.

He said nothing to Zeolite's shards, simply sitting there.

But if you could see into both of their worlds, you would see an almost see through Zeolite sitting back to back with Hematite, that same empty expression on his face.

* * *

One of Howlite's knees was pulled up, his arm draped over it as he sat there, in that strawberry field.

"I never really got the chance to pay my respects last time, as those two made me lose my train of thought..." Howlite laughed lightly, remembering the scene.

"Ah, shipping is bullsh!t..." Howlite quoted himself, though he felt like a hypocrite as he did.

"I'm glad you didn't live long enough to see me like this..." Howlite glanced over at the crutch next to him.

"Honestly I'd rather that transformation had killed me. This is just pathetic... I've come to care for these pathetic earthlings... How stupid is that?" Howlite laughed lightly once again, shaking his head.

"I wish I could still be that monster, but not anymore..." Howlite looked down, as if disgusted with himself.

"everyone says it feels great being a hero. Well I'm calling bullsh!t." Howlite's hands clenched into fists.

"I'm trying to be someone I'm not and it's just not working..!" Howlite's fists slammed onto the ground, his eyes snapping shut.

He went back through his memories of his time on this planet.

 _"This should be easy."  
_

 _"I wish he would just hurry up for once..."  
_

 _"Message received..."_

 _"That... Idiot..."_

 _"Don't look into it."_

 _"Damn that's adorable."_

 _"And if there's a blast coming towards us, and I can either shove you out of the way and take the attack myself or use you as a meat shield, I'm picking the latter."_

 _"Not here for a visit, kid."  
_

 _"Bitches, am I right?"_

 _"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"  
_

 _"I'll kill him next time..."_

 _"F#ck it..."  
_

Howlite stood slowly, grabbing his crutch. "This hero thing doesn't suit me..." Howlite smirked lightly.

 ** _"But Renegade... I think I can do Renegade."_**

* * *

 **HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  
**

 **You didn't really think I'd kill off Howlite, did you?**

 **And for those of you who thought Bloodstone was dead, I basically said in last chapters authors note that he wasn't. read the authors note, don't be pissed with me.**

 **Sorry about any spelling errors, as I'm kind of rushing through the proof reading to post this.  
**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out.**


	41. Chapter 40: War

**Okay, so I know I kind of disappeared for two weeks but... My power went out, and I didn't get too many reviews for awhile, and I had some trouble think up a bunch of excuses for this, and I was busy with school and I'm trying to update another one of my many stories and juggling this and that isn't going so well.**

 **But I promise, then end to this ark will be worth the wait.**

 **Thanks go to** **Kagehime-sama53, ArticFox319, Jak Fortune, Blue topaz the 5th, Hollyberry of Skyclan, Guest, 28, TennisCat, and Guest.**

 **Fun Fact: TennisCat is my Spirit Animal.**

 **Fun Fact Part 2: I was running out of Fun Facts when I got TennisCat's review so...**

 **Yeah.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"Where did he go..?" Peridot asked herself as she walked through the slowly being rebuilt city.

She came across what was left of the docks, and found Matrix there, laying cement block down to rebuild one of the docks warehouses that was destroyed in their fight with Bloodstone.

Peridot sighed with relief, making him look up to see her there. "For a second I thought that you'd disappeared on us."

Matrix smirked lightly. "I know better than to leave you guys alone, you'd fall apart without me."

Peridot rolled her eyes. "Yeah, what would we do without our thick skulled, spear wielding barbarian?" Peridot asked with a smirk.

"You'd all be dead, that's for sure." Matrix answered easily, not looking at Peridot as he continued to rebuild the building.

"you cause way more trouble then you're worth, I can assure you that." Peridot said, crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry, how many bad guys have you defeated?" Matrix asked, glancing over his shoulder at Peridot.

"I'm sorry, how many successful plans have you made?"

"How many successful plans have _you_ made?" Matrix asked as he stood, looking down at Peridot.

Peridot looked as though she was about to explode, unable to think of a retort.

She felt something hit her in the side of the head, and looked to see a paper airplane floating to the ground.

She picked it up, opening it and reading the words on it.

 **Just f#ck already.**

 **Love, Emerald**

Peridot's eye twitched as she crumpled the paper, her face glowing red.

She could hear Emerald's laughter in the distance, and Matrix saw him running from the scene, Rob the Robonoid on his head as he carried Onion.

"What is it?" Matrix asked.

Peridot sighed. "Shipping is bullsh!t..."

* * *

Bloodstone walked through a gray plain. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he knew he was alone.

A glowing white light had brought him here. In the white light had been the outline of... Well, something.

But he was alone.

To his sides were outlines of blue, pink, yellow and even white. But they all kept their distance.

Were they afraid of him?

He was still alone.

How long had he been walking there? A few seconds? A few billion years?

He found two people to his sides. One grey, one white.

He found a gem on the ground. it shun with an almost golden glow.

he found it so... Intriguing. He picked it up, and he held it close. He felt as though he actually... Cared about this glowing golden Gem.

He wasn't alone.

How long did he hold that gem? A few minutes? A few thousand years?

He looked up, and he found that the blue and the yellow and the white and the grey were creeping closer to him.

They wanted to hurt him.

They wanted to hurt him!

THEY WANTED TO HURT HIM.

In his fear, he accidentally crushed that golden gem in his arms.

Bloodstone found himself watching as he split into two, one half catching the shards of the gem, while the other half laughed a laugh that he thought he owned, slicing away the ones that wanted to hurt him.

Then the one that had attacked looked to the one that mourned from the ground, and sliced him away as well.

He grinned, picking up the shards and encasing them in a bubble before he continued to walk.

He was alone.

The top of the light healing chamber was blown open, and Bloodstone shot up, panting rapidly.

He pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his head on his knees.

The door to the room slid open, and a soldier entered the room. "Oh good, you're awake..." he said.

Bloodstone's eyes widened, and he jumped up. "What?!"

"W-well, what do you want us to do, sir?" The soldier stammered. "Should we retreat to Homeworld to heal your gem?" He asked, and Bloodstone's eyes narrowed.

"... First, we are going to lay waste to all of these pathetic earthling cities! We are going to make them regret ever touching me with their filthy, pathetic hands!" Bloodstone seethed, snarling as he walked to a table, pressing a button on it and bringing up a hologram of the planet.

"We are going to march on these disgusting humans, and we are going to eliminate them!"

"But sir, Yellow Diamond said-"

"I don't give a f#ck what Yellow Diamond said!"

The soldier flinched as Bloodstone snapped, and Bloodstone calmed himself, sighing. "Now, It would seem that filthy Peridot shut down the Cluster's incubator after she decided to stay with this putrid planet. If we were to reactivate it, we'd only have to defend it for about a year before it would emerge and destroy this planet."

"But wasn't the Cluster much closer to emerging than a year?"

"Well of course, but it's been shut down for over seven months. It's going to take some time for it to recover." Bloodstone said, looking to a large screen in the center of the room.

"Okay, but how are we going to fend off those Crystal Gems? I mean, if that Wolf-thing shows up again..."

Bloodstone flinched, a flash of memories reminding him of how he ended up in that healing chamber.

"not even that Corrupt dog can stand up to my army combined with Yellow Diamond's." Bloodstone said, and the soldier's eyes widened.

"Would Yellow Diamond be able to send her army?" He questioned. "I mean, with her current feud with... Well, you know..."

Bloodstone grinned lightly. "It doesn't matter what she wants to do." He pressed a button on the screen, and a 'calling' screen appeared.

"She's going to do what I order her to do."

* * *

Blue Diamond had finally managed to get some time alone, sitting out on the deck as the others were either planning or helping rebuilding the city.

Blue Diamond leaned back in her chair, remembering what she'd seen in that Crystal Ball once again.

She cringed lightly. The fire. The destruction. The chaos.

She looked up at the stars. it wouldn't be long now.

The end of this would set it all in motion. Just a few more days.

Her mind drifted to that Gem, locked up deep in the ground of Homeworld. Chained to the floor. Star Bolt on his throat. The hundreds of floors above him, each with hundreds of cells holding hundreds of gems.

Her mind drifted to that dome. For so long she'd thought of that as a place where the deserving were punished, but the outcome of it all still haunted her.

"Citrine..." She said under her breath. They'd only be alone for a little while longer... Homeworld would only have the advantage for a little while longer.

She was shaken from her thoughts, hearing the house door open. She sat up, seeing Steven walking towards her, taking a seat.

"Oh, hello Steven." Blue Diamond smiled sweetly as she sat up straight. "What brings you out here?"

Steven didn't answer, and Blue Diamond almost looked worried. "What's wrong?" She asked. "You look troubled."

Steven took a deep breath, looking up from the ground at her. "Look, you can't tell the others that I'm asking you about this."

"Well I don't know Steven." Blue Diamond smirked to herself. "I'm not very good at keeping secrets." Something about her tone told Steven that she was lying.

"Well you have to keep this one." Steven said, his seriousness seeming rather out of character. Then again, he'd been going through a lot lately.

"I guess I could try. But what is it?" Blue Diamond asked in a caring tone that little to no other had heard.

Steven took a deep breath before speaking. "Who is Pink Diamond? Who is Yellow Diamond? How am I related to them? And what happened in the Gem Wars?"

Blue Diamond was slightly taken aback by this barrage of questions. The Crystal Gems really didn't tell him much, did they?

"..." Blue Diamond found her composure, taking a deep breath. "Well... To be honest, I find it difficult to remember myself. When your old enough to have outlived stars, your memories tend to become a blur."

"Please, try to remember."

Blue Diamond sighed. "None of us remember how we got here. We Diamonds have been around for a long, long time. We've always existed together, so we assumed that we were sisters. We've been the rulers of the others for too long to remember. Your mother, me, Yellow, and even White..."

Blue Diamond trailed off, and Steven could have sworn he saw her shiver at the mention of this 'white'.

"But mom was Rose Quartz, not a Diamond..."

"No. You see, your mother became ashamed of what we Diamonds were doing to Homeworld. She didn't want to be associated with us anymore. So she took the place of her chief adviser and best friend, the real Rose Quartz."

Steven's eyes were wide in shock. "Then what happened to the real Rose Quartz?"

"... That's... Not my place to tell you..." Blue Diamond said, trailing off as she glanced at Lion, who glared at her from the steps going down to the beach.

"Oh come on, not you too with the secrets!" Steven said, stomping one foot on the ground.

"Look Steven, this is a secret the other Gems don't even know about." Blue Diamond said. "I shouldn't even know about it."

Blue Diamond put a hand on Steven's shoulder. "Please, Steven, understand that I must respect the wishes of my sister. You will figure this all out soon enough."

Steven sighed, looking down. "I... I understand." Steven said, smiling up at Blue Diamond. "Thank you for your help."

"No problem." Blue Diamond returned the smile. "Just don't tell the others that I told you, okay? I'd hate to see what Pearl would do to me if I dared speak of her precious leader in such a revealing manner... Geez... Even I have been known to swing the other way once or twice but she's really..."

Blue Diamond muttered the last part.

"Uh... What?" Steven asked, slightly confused.

"Uh... N-nothing Steven!" Blue Diamond said quickly, smiling nervously as a light blue blush appeared on her face.

* * *

Gem shards clattered to a floor that couldn't be identified, the space around them dark.

The Crystal Gems lay beaten in the dirt, the sky dark as smoke from a fallen ship spiraled into the air.

They were in a barren wasteland, who knows what it once was.

Bloodstone grinned as he walked slowly towards the downed gems. He dropped blue shards, and Steven's eyes widened.

"N-no... Blue Diamond..." He said, and he watched as Howlite stood in front of him, panting as he glared at Bloodstone.

"That's... Enough..." He said, stumbling down to one knee.

Hematite climbed to his feet as well, both arms broken as he held a blade in his teeth.

Emerald grit his teeth, setting down shards that resembled Feldspar and Fluorite, glaring at Bloodstone as his energy blades appeared.

Peridot stood, her right arm missing as her left cannon charged up.

Lapis stood, one wing dripping water as the other struggled to stay up.

Pearl stood slowly, one arm broken backwards as she held her blade in her other hand.

Garnet stood as well, only one gauntlet appearing as she sent back bubbled, purple shards.

Bloodstone laughed, spinning his scythe. "Is this all you've got? To think, you weaklings actually managed to crack my gem and defeat my army... But the one you needed to keep you going is dead, isn't he?" Bloodstone grinned, and Peridot grit her teeth.

"YOU BASTARD!" She shot off the ground at Bloodstone, who laughed, shooting forward and ramming his knee into her abdomen, catching her by the hair as she fell, eyes shut in pain.

"Peridot!" Lapis shot off the ground at Bloodstone as well, Bloodstone dropping Peridot and kicking out just as Lapis reached him, multiple cracks being heard as he rammed his foot directly into her ribs, throwing her back as her face contorted in pain.

"Yes, he inspired you all to keep going because he never stopped. You knew that since he never stopped, you could never stop."

Bloodstone stomped down on Peridot's head, and in a puff of smoke, all that was left under his foot was green shards.

Hematite spun down from above Bloodstone, swinging his blade down at him, only for it to be blocked by Bloodstone's scythe.

Bloodstone reached down, pushing Pearl's blade to the side as she tried to stab him in the chest, ramming his elbow into her face and effectively laying her out.

Hematite was thrown back through the air as Bloodstone planted one foot on Pearl's chest, pulling his scythe back.

Hematite shot off the ground at Bloodstone, but he was too late.

Bloodstone looked up from the shards of Pearl as Hematite roared with anger. Once again, death had claimed a worthy rival.

Once again, He'd never know if he was strong enough.

Bloodstone laughed as he dodged around Hematite's slashes with ease. "A lot less dangerous without your arms, huh?" He grinned, kicking Hematite square in the chest and watching as he stumbled back, hitting the ground on his back and panting for breath.

Bloodstone rose his scythe, but it was blocked by a green energy blade, and Emerald glared up at Bloodstone with pure hatred in his eyes.

Bloodstone laughed once again. "And what are you going to do, you puny mass produced nerd?" Bloodstone kicked at Emerald who, much to his shock, caught it.

"F#ck. You." Emerald said, his energy blades glowing brighter than usual as they seemed to stretch out, wrapping around the two.

"Hey, wait, what are you doing?!" Bloodstone questioned as he was wrapped with Emerald in this glowing energy.

Emerald began to laugh, much to Bloodstone's anger. "What's so funny? What are you laughing at?!"

"Don't you get it, reaper?" Emerald grinned darkly at Bloodstone.

"We're both gonna die here."

"Let me go you bastard!" Bloodstone demanded, but Emerald just shook his head.

"I wonder how many people have said that to you before, you damn dirty Reaper." Emerald grinned as he rammed into Bloodstone, pushing them both off of the rock that they stood on. Hematite backed away quickly, a green explosion rocking the earth and lighting up the sky.

Everyone stared at the green smoke in shock. "Emerald..." Steven said, tears filling his eyes.

"He gave his life to save us, Steven..." Garnet put a hand on Steven's shoulder.

"Well... That sucked..."

They all looked in horror to see Bloodstone climbing back over the rock, his cloak torn away from the blast as he threw green shards to the side.

"But at least I got through another one of you Crystal Clowns by playing along with that imbecile." He grinned, and fear was struck into the gems once again.

"What, you honestly thought that would kill me?" Bloodstone shook his head. "You all must really be desperate."

Hematite roared as he shot off at Bloodstone once again, but Bloodstone simply shot forward, slicing through the swordsmen with ease.

He swung backwards as Hematite's gem fell, slicing it clean in two.

"Hematite!" Steven exclaimed, and Garnet stood between him and Bloodstone.

"Not a step closer!" Garnet demanded, her shades cracked from the earlier battle.

"And who's gonna stop me?" Bloodstone questioned as he walked by Lapis, who was trying to get up from the rock she lay on her stomach on, back exposed.

In one fluent motion, Bloodstone stabbed through her gem with his scythe, Lapis' eyes widening in pain as she exploded into dust, gem shards falling to the ground.

Steven's tears fell to the ground, and Garnet's gauntlets appeared as she prepared to fight. "You'll pay for this, you sick twisted bastard!"

But before Garnet could attack, she noticed Howlite, standing slowly as his teeth grit.

"You... You've dug your own grave..." Howlite's hands clenched into fists, stumbling slightly as blood seeped from his mouth.

"Oh please, you aren't strong enough to be a threat to me any more, you filthy dog!" Bloodstone grinned, twirling his scythe.

"That's what you think..." Howlite's hands clenched into fists, and he took up a stance that was all too familiar to Bloodstone.

That pillar of energy shot into the sky, and Howlite roared as he began to bulk once again.

"I'M GOING TO END YOU!"

Howlite roared as he stood as the God Eater once more, panting as blood seeped from his mouth, one of his ears and his nose.

"Howlite, no!" Steven exclaimed, but Howlite didn't hear him. He shot off the ground at a terrified Bloodstone, but just before he reached him, a shattering noise was heard.

Howlite stopped, eyes wide as blood seeped from them as well, along with his other ear. He fell forward onto Bloodstone, exploding into nothing but shards. The pressure on his gem was too much.

Bloodstone was silent for a moment, before he began to laugh. A relieved, nervous laugh. "Ha! What a fool!"

He stomped on Howlite's shards, grinding them to dust under his heel.

Steven fell to his knees, eyes wide. "This... This can't be happening..."

Garnet stepped forward, but he grabbed her by the pant leg. "Garnet, please don't go!" Steven said, tears in his eyes.

Garnet smiled sadly, going down on one knee to be eye level with Steven. "Steven..."

She made a heart with her hands, smiling.

"I love you."

Steven hugged Garnet, sobbing into her shirt.

Garnet stood, looking to face Bloodstone, who grinned.

Steven watched as they shot off the ground at one another.

He couldn't bare to watch, looking away and snapping his eyes shut.

A poof. Two shattering sounds.

Steven finally looked up, Bloodstone looming over him.

He fell back, crawling backwards. "W-why? Why are you doing this?"

Bloodstone's grin was from ear to ear as he knelt down to be eye level with Steven.

"For the same reason you help people." He pulled back his scythe.

"It just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

He swung.

* * *

"Garnet?"

"Gaaaarneeet?"

"Garnet, you there?"

Garnet was awoken from her little trance.

"So, what's the most likely outcome of the battle?" Emerald asked.

"Yeah, give it to us straight." Peridot sighed. "How badly do we lose?"

Garnet couldn't find the words. It was all she could do to keep from breaking down right there.

Was that really the most likely outcome? The future wasn't set in stone, sure, she knew that. But she also knew that that was the most possible outcome. The only one where they came out alive was almost impossible.

Less that a 1% percent chance.

"Silence. That's always a good sign." Emerald said sarcastically. "So I'm guessing we all live and Bloodstone comes to our side with Christmas presents?"

Garnet stayed silent.

"Garnet... What's gonna happen?" Steven asked.

"We can handle it." Amethyst added.

"We need to know." Matrix said.

"Isn't it obvious?" Howlite arched a brow at them. "It's not complex, people. We're fighting a pointless battle, and we're all gonna die." Howlite rolled his eyes.

"That about some things up, three eyes?" Howlite arched a brow at Garnet.

"... Please, remember that I only see what is most likely to happen... Nothing is set in stone..." Garnet said.

"So we are all gonna die then..." Amazonite said.

"We can't give up hope yet." Blue Diamond said.

"Yeah, we've still got a shot at winning, even if the odds are against us!" Steven said, standing on his couch to gather their attention.

"I suppose over coming the odds is all we've been doing since I got to this planet." Peridot said, smirking lightly.

Right after speaking, Peridot's finger screen came to life, one word flashing on the screen.

"WARNING"

"Huh?" She opened up the screen. Her eyes widened.

"What is it?" Pearl asked.

"This... This can't be..." Peridot gulped.

"Well don't keep us in suspense!" Lapis demanded.

"Bloodstone's army... It's split up, and it's marching towards multiple human cities!" Peridot said.

"What?!" Everyone else said in unison.

"What's worse, Bloodstone seems to be leading a squad towards the Kindergarten..!"

"Why would he be going there?!" Pearl exclaimed in shock.

"I can only think of one reason..." Peridot gulped.

 **"he's going to reactivate The Cluster!"**

* * *

 **Here it comes, ladies and gentlemen. It's time for the final act.**

 **What does Blue Diamond know that the others don't?**

 **Was what Garnet saw the true future?**

 **Seriously, who is Citrine?**

 **Will Bloodstone revive The Cluster?**

 **Who will be caught in the crossfire of this epic battle?**

 **How will they stop the army?**

 **Will Good prevail?**

 **Who will live?**

 **Who will die?**

 **How long can this list go before it gets irritating?**

 **Is it already irritating?**

 **Yes?**

 **Okay, I'll stop.**

 **Now then, I hope to be able to update a bit faster this time around, but I won't make a promise I'm not sure I can keep.**

 **But the more reviews I get, the faster I tend to update.**

 **Anyways, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	42. Chapter 41: Phase 1 (Part 1)

**Thanks go to Kagehime-sama53, Cfintimidator, Primus1661, ferissthestickman, Guest, Guest, The Imprisoned of Hell, SpectorChris, Guest, Fade-Like-We-Never-Existed, Jak Fortune, Blue tpaz the 5th, Guest, and Guest.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"So this Cluster can just explode out of the earth once they're reactivated it and destroy the planet?!" Amethyst said frantically.

"In a nut shell." Emerald said. "But it will take about a year for it to emerge, considering how long it's been out of commission."

"Which means that we can stop it." Peridot said.

"if you can get Emerald and I into the Control Room and defend us long enough for us to shut everything down once again, then we'll have stopped the Cluster."

"But can't they just reactivate it?" Pearl asked.

"Yes, which is why after phase one of our plan, Shut Down the Cluster," Peridot was cut off.

"Creative, we know." Emerald said sarcastically, and Peridot shot him a glare.

"After phase one is complete, we'll set phase two in motion, which involves killing Bloodstone." Peridot continued.

"Sounds great on paper." Howlite said with a roll of his eyes. "But how exactly do we pull that one off?"

"Simple." Emerald said.

"All you have to do is form Xenotime."

Matrix and Howlite glanced at each other from across the room, glaring.

"That was a one time thing." Matrix said.

"Finally, something we can agree on." Howlite crossed his arms.

"Told you they wouldn't be willing to comply." Emerald rolled his eyes, and Peridot groaned.

"Look, I know Xenotime didn't work too well last time but-"

"Didn't work too well?" Howlite exclaimed. "The pansy over there kept me from killing him!"

"It's not my fault you wanted to eat him like the freak you are!" Matrix challenged.

"Oh you wanna go again?!" Howlite said, his metal maw appearing.

"Enough, both of you!" Garnet intervened, and they all looked to her, surprised by the raise in her voice.

"We've got too much to deal with for you two to bicker like children! Now, after Emerald and Peridot shut down the Cluster, you will fuse into Xenotime! You will do it then as to not blow up the Control Room and blow the entire plan! Meanwhile, the rest of you will be fending off the army, no human city will be touched by Bloodstone or his gang of... Well, Clods!"

Steven gasped. "Garnet, such language!"

Garnet couldn't help but smile lightly at Steven, ruffling his hair.

"Now, after you defeat the armies, and you _will_ defeat the armies, I don't care what it takes, fusion, special abilities, anything that can help!" Garnet said. "After that, we will all regroup at the Kindergarten using the Warp to get as close to it as we can, assuming Bloodstone has destroyed the Warp pad there, as I'm sure he has."

Garnet sighed, regaining her composure.

"... Yes, that's phase two. After Bloodstone is defeated, phase three will involve us trying to convince what remains of his army to join us, as we are gearing up for a war with Homeworld, we all know that." Peridot said, and everyone nodded.

"Now then," Emerald began. "These will be the teams..."

* * *

Matrix stood on the deck of the house, looking out at the clouds rolling in. For the first time in a long time, his hood was up.

He heard the Warp pad going off multiple times.

Him, Peridot, Lapis, Howlite, Emerald, and Garnet had to go to the Kindergarten without the Warp, as it seemed Bloodstone had destroyed the Pad at the Kindergarten.

They would Warp to the nearest location, and then walk the rest of the way.

"Matrix?" Peridot said as she walked onto the deck, arching a brow at him. "What are you doing out here? Come on, we've gotta go."

Matrix remained silent, not turning around to look at Peridot. Peridot arched a brow at him. "... Matrix? Is something wrong?"

Matrix sighed, forcing his frown away as he took on his usual expression. "Uh, yeah, yeah I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Peridot pressed further. "You've got that tone that you get when you're keeping something from me."

"I have a tone for when I'm keeping something from you?" Matrix said in a disbelieving tone.

"Yes." Peridot answered with a nod. "I first noticed it a long time ago, and it's something that I've always kept in mind when speaking to you."

"How long ago?" Matrix was trying to change the subject, something Peridot didn't seem to notice.

"A couple hundred years ago." Peridot said.

"A couple hundred years ago?" Matrix seemed confused. "When did we talk then?"

Peridot's eyes narrowed. "You... Seriously don't remember?"

"refresh my memory." Matrix said, still trying to keep her mind off of the previous topic.

"When Yellow Diamond sent me on my first field mission!" Peridot said, clearly irritated that Matrix didn't remember.

When Matrix still looked confused, she shot him a glare. "I can't believe you don't remember!" She said, throwing her arms down in what could have been defined as a fit.

"Planet CW2019?" Peridot attempted to remind him. "Yellow Diamond made me go with you to that wretched planet! She wanted me to learn how to use all of my fighting capabilities on the field! You explained to me why some Gems eat, sleep and breath? You made me fight you without my limb enhancers!"

Matrix looked as if something had rung a bell, and then he began laughing. "Oh, right. You know, I bet Steven'd get a kick out of that story. Maybe you should tell him after all of this."

Peridot sighed, relieved that he remembered, before crossing her arms, turning her head over her shoulder indifferently. "You tell Steven, I don't like talking about those days."

Matrix seemed to change back to the mood he was in before Peridot had came out from something Peridot had said. "Yeah..." He looked to the side.

Peridot looked back over her shoulder at Matrix at his sudden change of tone.

"Uh, Peridot..." Peridot arched a brow at Matrix, who looked back from the side to her.

"Yes?" Peridot answered.

"Uh... Don't die out there, okay?" Matrix said.

Peridot looked slightly confused, but then smirked. "Aw, you do care."

Matrix hid the red on his face under his cloak. "N-no, but what kind of body guard would it make me if I let you die out there?"

"of course, of course." Peridot's smirk remained as she turned around, walking back into the house. She stopped at the doorway.

"Uh... Matrix?" She said, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Yeah?"

"Uh..." Peridot scratched the back of her head awkwardly, turning around to face Matrix once again. "You shouldn't die out there either..."

Matrix was only slightly surprised, but he smiled anyway. "I won't."

Peridot extended her hand to Matrix, and he arched a brow at it. "Uh... Whatcha doing there?"

"Shake on it." Peridot demanded, and Matrix laughed lightly.

"Uh, okay." He reached out, taking her hand and shaking it with a laugh, as if she was being silly. He held one hand behind his back as he did so.

Peridot smiled, glad Matrix had shaken her hand without complaint.

"Now come on." She turned back to the Warp Pad. "We're going to have to get going if we're going to make it to the... What do the Earthlings say? Party?"

* * *

Howlite jumped from branch to branch, pushing himself off of each one with his crutch.

"Uh... Are you sure you're okay to fight with your injuries?" Lapis questioned, flying next to him.

"I'll survive." Howlite said, frowning as he kept his eyes forward.

"I'm gonna hold you to that." Lapis said.

Howlite smirked lightly. "Please, I don't die. It's not my style."

"So you're not worried about this at all?" Lapis arched a brow at Howlite.

"The only thing I'm worried about is how I'm going to dance on Bloodstone's grave with this crutch." Howlite said confidently, though on the side of his head that Lapis couldn't see, a cold sweat ran down.

"Well I hope that crutch doesn't keep you from keeping up with me." Lapis smirked, Howlite's false confidence seeming to have helped calm her fears.

Howlite sighed internally, glad that he'd managed to get ride of that worried tone she'd had when they'd spoke.

* * *

"So... You'll be able to keep the soldiers from attacking me, right?" Emerald glanced over at Garnet as they jumped from tree to tree. "I-I mean, not that I'm scared or anything! Haha!" Emerald laughed nervously, feeling cold sweat run down his face.

"Probably, yeah." Garnet said calmly. "But I can't protect you from blowing up, so keep that in mind while you're fighting."

"Blowing up?" Emerald said, confused. "That's oddly specific..." Emerald said.

"Just think about it, you'll get it." Garnet said, and Emerald thought for a moment, coming quickly to a conclusion.

 _Oh my Space God I blow myself up in the future..._

* * *

"How long is it gonna take them?" Blue Diamond questioned, sitting back on her hands on a boulder in the middle of a large path, a city behind her. The city happened to be surrounded by mountains, and this was the only way in.

Maybe if Bloodstone hadn't been so angry, he would have found a better place to attack.

The battle plan was simple. Blow them away as they filter through the path.

"It shouldn't be long now..." Pearl said, looking up the path.

"I hear them..." Hematite said, and Blue Diamond arched a brow at him.

"This is a straight path, and I can't see them... You've got some ears." Blue Diamond said.

"And nose and tongue." Hematite said simply. "But yeah, mostly ears."

"Tongue eh?" Blue Diamond leaned closer to Hematite, smirking playfully.

In the next instant, Hematite was an extra five feet away from her, a sword aimed directly in between her eyes as he looked straight ahead.

"I'd prefer to keep this professional, Blue Diamond." Hematite said flatly, not even looking at her, his expression blank.

"You're no fun..." Blue Diamond crossed her arms, puffing out her cheeks, pouting.

"You and I have very different definitions of fun." Hematite said plainly as per usual, sheathing his sword.

Blue Diamond sighed in boredom. She glanced to her left, where Pearl stood, and shrugged. "What about you? I heard you had a thing for Diamond's." She said waving her eyebrows at Pearl, who shot her a glare.

"Real funny. You're on thin ice, Blue. Keep that in mind." Pearl said, taking up that same sentry stance that Hematite had taken.

Blue Diamond frowned, looking between them. "How'd I get stuck with these two stiffs?" She muttered to herself before sighing.

"I wonder what Howlite's doing right now..."

* * *

Amazonite crossed her arms, looking out into the forest.

"You sure Connie shouldn't be here?" Amethyst looked to Steven, who shook his head.

"I can't risk her getting hurt again. She almost got killed- we all almost got killed- last time. But Connie isn't a gem, and this isn't her life... Or, at least not all of it." Steven said, his hands clenching into fists as he looked down.

"..." Amethyst was slightly surprised by Steven's words. "You really are starting to grow up..." She said, looking off into the forest.

"I was kind of forced to..." Steven said, and Amethyst felt a tinge of guilt. They had let Steven fight a war, put him in danger. Forced him to cut his childhood short.

But then again, if they hadn't let him help, they'd all be dead by now, and Steven would be angry with them for not letting him help.

But still...

Lion let out a low growl, and all of them looked at Amazonite, who pointed to the rustling trees.

"They're coming."

* * *

Howlite sat crouched, looking down at the entrance to the Kindergarten, at least fifty soldiers standing guard, Bloodstone no where to be seen.

"He's already inside..." Lapis said, looking over the Kindergarten.

"So this is where Gems are made now..." Lapis looked disgusted. "In my time, Gems were born, not made..."

Howlite looked over his shoulder at her. "That was a long time ago." He arched a brow at her. "Just how old are you?"

"I believe it's impolite to ask a lady her age." Lapis said, crossing her arms.

Howlite sighed, rolling his eyes. "Whatever."

Howlite looked over to the ledge opposite to the one he and Lapis stood on, Peridot and Matrix standing on it.

"So all we've gotta do is protect Peridot and Emerald while they stop any progress that Bloodstone might have made?" Lapis asked.

"Yes. great exposition." Howlite said, standing up and using his crutch to keep himself up.

Howlite looked back to the ground, seeing Garnet standing in front of the soldiers, Emerald hiding behind her as the soldiers eyes narrowed, and they charged her.

As they did, Howlite jumped from the ledge, coming down into the middle of them, smashing into the earth and throwing them into the air was he landed, his metal maw appearing as he threw his crutch aside, grinning.

Matrix landed next to him, stabbing through a soldier and standing back to back with him as they charged.

They stood there, beating back the soldiers with ease.

A green beam blasted through the ranks of soldiers, Peridot blasting them from her vantage point.

Lapis flew down, landing by planting her feet in one soldiers chest, slamming her into the ground.

Her wing proceeded to stab them through the gem as she looked to the others, and as a soldier jumped at her from behind, Emerald shot by, slicing them in two.

"Come on, we've gotta get into the Control Room!" Emerald said, his blade extending and stabbing into five different gems, each of them poofing before he swung it like a wave, slashing down all gems in between them and the Control Room.

They all shot as fast as they could down the path Emerald had opened, Howlite in front, chomping through any and all gems dumb enough to get in their way.

As Howlite jumped from the throat of his last victim, he landed on one soldier standing directly in front of the hole leading to the Control Room, body surfing down into the room while destroying their gem, which happened to be in their back.

* * *

Bloodstone could hear the world above them being torn apart, the battle starting in an instant. His eyes narrowed.

He looked to all of the gems working quickly among the computer screens. Peridots. Emeralds. Others that he didn't take the time to learn the names of.

His eyes narrowed as the events of his last battle with these Crystal Gems played before his eyes. His hands clenched into fists hard enough for his nails to pierce his skin.

As his blood dripped to the floor, he became aware of a screaming.

He looked to see Howlite skid down on a screaming soldier, stopping at the bottom, kicking the soldier aside as their gem was ground down to nothing, their physical form poofing away.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Bloodstone looked up slowly and Howlite looked back from the one he'd kicked.

As their eyes met, Bloodstone's eyes widened in a level of hatred previously unseen. His face contorted in rage, and his scythe appeared in hand instantly.

He roared, shooting off the ground at Howlite. Howlite growled, shooting off the ground at him as well, his teeth snapping down on the scythe blade.

"How?!" Bloodstone demanded to know, glaring into Howlite's eyes, Howlite glaring back. "How are you still alive?!"

"Maybe it's because it's not my time yet," Howlite snarled as his teeth clenched down, the scythe blade shattering.

He jumped up, pulling back a fist. "Or maybe it's because you hit like a bitch!" He threw his fist forward, but Bloodstone caught it, kicking him quickly while letting him go, sending him flying into a wall.

Bloodstone roared as he shot off the ground at him, pulling back one fist as he prepared to strike.

Just before he reached Howlite, however, he was sent across the room by a kick, spinning in air and landing on his hands and feet, skidding as he looked up with hate filled eyes at Matrix, who cracked his knuckles, smirking.

"Ready for round three, Reaper?" Shadows covered Matrix's eyes as he glared darkly at Bloodstone with hate filled eyes. His hood was still up.

* * *

Lapis sliced through soldiers as fast as she could, Emerald and Peridot following close behind her as they carved a path to the controls. Garnet was top side, fighting off the other soldiers.

"So how fast will you two be able to do this?" Lapis asked, slashing through two Emerald's standing in her way. She wasn't sure how she could tell the difference between them and the real Emerald, but it was something about the life in their eyes.

The copies eyes were cold and empty, while Emerald's were sarcastic and, if you looked deep into them, bitter.

Emerald stabbed into another Emerald, and as he fell, standing over this Emerald, he stared into it's- his- eyes.

The Emerald starred up at him emptily, while he tried to conceal the disgust at his own actions.

"I always knew this would be your outcome, 127." The Emerald said blankly as it stared up at Emerald, who flinched at the sound of his number.

"107..." Sure, Emerald could have smashed that Gem, but instead he bubbled it, sending it back to the temple.

Lapis and Peridot arched a brow at Emerald, and he rolled his eyes.

"Look, I can give you an Episode of Emerald later! We've got things to do!"

Peridot nodded at Emerald's words, looking to the control panel, her and Emerald running to it as Lapis stood guard over them, knocking away any soldiers or other scientists for that matter.

Her sharpened wings stabbed at all that got too close, and she looked over her shoulder at the two working Gems.

"Okay seriously, how fast can you two get this done?" Lapis questioned hastily, dodging the blade of an unnamed cloaked gem, stabbing through his back as she spun around him, watching as he poofed into nothing but a Topaz-looking gem.

She picked up the gem, blocking another stab from another gem with it, shattering the Topaz while blocking an attack coming for her.

She jumped forward, grabbing the attacker by the throat, slamming her into the ground and stabbing her through the gem in her forehead with her wing.

* * *

Blue Diamond grinned as the army seemed to come to a stand still before the rock on which she sat. She could feel the fear radiating from the army.

It did feel great to be feared, maybe not for everyone, but certainly for her.

She opened up her left palm, a ball of blue energy spinning rapidly in it as it grew.

The army would have scattered it it had been able to, but the trench they were in prevented that.

She brought her arm down, firing a wave of energy into the army, blowing a hole directly down the middle of it and out to the other end.

The army quickly filled the hole, a soldier shooting off the ground and pulling back a large battle axe as she prepared to attack Blue Diamond, who easily back flipped over it.

"A very ballsy move!" Blue Diamond grinned as she back flipped away from their swing, watching as they shot into the air after her, only for Hematite to come down from above, stabbing his blade through their back and sending them into the ground, poofing them instantly.

Pearl shot by him, spinning down on the Gem creeping up behind Hematite, slashing him in two.

Pearl and Hematite smirked as they stood back to back, slashing soldiers down with ease.

"You wanna keep score?" Pearl asked as they fought back soldiers with ease.

"If you think you can keep up." Hematite answered easily, cutting down another soldier.

Blue Diamond flew over head, blasting rapidly down into the army.

Blue Diamond kicked away a soldier that jumped high enough to attack her, having some sort of device on their boots. She blasted him to nothingness as he fell.

"It was a good try! Come on, who's next?" She demanded to know as she looked down at the army, a wide circle surrounding the circle that Pearl and Hematite were in, gem shards coating the ground as they said numbers aloud while slashing soldiers down.

Were they seriously keeping count?

* * *

Two soldier's screams were cut out as they were smashed under Amazonite's clubs, Amethyst spinning by and smashing through multiple soldiers.

Multiple soldiers were thrown into the air as Lion's roar barreled through them.

Steven blocked blades from Lion with his shield, and as they were surrounded, his bubble appeared, and Lion opened a portal inside of it, jumping through it with Steven on his back.

Lion appeared behind the army, loosing a roar at them that put all other roars to shame, throwing them all into the air before Lion jumped up after them, chomping down on them and crushing their gems in his teeth.

Amazonite smashed a gem rushing at Amethyst, who in turn jumped up, slashing down a gem creeping up behind Amazonite.

The tow smirked at one another as they whipped and smashed gem after gem, working in perfect tandem.

"We make a pretty great team, you know that?" Amethyst smirked up at Amazonite, who smirked in return.

"You've got that right." Amazonite said, smashing another gem.

Lion jumped down between them, and Steven jumped off of his back, standing behind Lion as they all stood in a perfect square, ready to fight off the surrounding Gems.

* * *

Matrix and Bloodstone's fist collided, a shock wave rocking the Kindergarten.

Bloodstone's teeth grit, and he pulled back his other fist, just in time for Howlite to shoot down, slamming one foot into his face and throwing him across the room.

"Looks like you're all washed up, reaper." Howlite grinned, and Bloodstone roared in anger, shooting off the ground at them with a ball of black on one hand.

He grabbed Howlite by the throat, slamming him into the wall. As Matrix jumped at him, he fired the wave of energy directly into his face!

As Bloodstone thought Matrix would be down for a moment, he shot out from the blast, scorch marks coating his body as he didn't seem to notice, roaring in anger as he pulled back one fist, slamming it into the Reaper Gem's face and throwing him across the room.

"W-what?!" Bloodstone said in shock, looking up at Matrix from his place in the dirt. "How could you have jumped through my attack?! Last time we fought you were-"

"There's one simple thing you've gotta know about fighting me, Bloodstone." Matrix said, his spear appearing in hand as his hands clenched into fists.

 **"If you're gonna put me down, make sure I stay down!"  
**

* * *

 **It's going down guys, it's really staring to go down. I promise, this is the last part of the fight with Bloodstone. So no riots, okay?  
**

 **This may or may not take a lot of chapters though... Heh...**

 **I'm not even sorry.**

 **Anyways, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	43. Chapter 42: Phase 1 (Part 2)

**Thanks go to** **Kagehime-sama53, Guest, Hollyberry of Skyclan, Guest, Primus1661, Jak Fortune, Guest, Nammer Grazi (Great name, even greater review), and ArticFox319.**

 **Fun Fact: Just Another Stone broke 300 Reviews.**

 **So thanks go to all of you for your constant support, and while I'd like to give some sappy, 'never thought I'd make it this far' thing, I'll save that for after this ark. I'm not really sure if any of you want to hear it, so I'll save it for awhile.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"Should we really be attacking their city with such a small group?" Asked the small purple gem as he looked up at the much taller one.

The short gem was colored purple, a gem present on the right side of his chest. He wore the black armor that was the calling card for Bloodstone's army.

The taller gem was hulking, his head square shaped as a black square helmet covered his hair, a silvery black gem placed in his left forearm.

"They've all gone to protect other humans, just as Bloodstone said they would, Cuprite." The taller gem answered. "This will be a slaughter, even if there are so little of us."

"But Halite, when the Sun and Moon Siblings came here, the humans caused quite a bit of trouble. Are you sure-"

"You doubt me?!" Halite turned his head quickly, his black cape flying from the sudden movement.

"N-no, of course not!" Cuprite said, shrinking under Halite as he threw his hands up to defend himself.

"Good." Halite grinned, looking at the beach front city from his place on the ledge over looking it.

"With all the damage Bloodstone has already done to it, this Beach City will fall within a few hours."

And with that, the squad of soldiers behind Halite and Cuprite jumped out to the sides, shooting out into the city.

Halite grinned.

* * *

A soldier flew back through the rows of them surrounding Garnet, who smirked as she stood guard over the door to the Kindergarten Control Room.

"Come on, who's next?" She asked, and a soldier jumped at her from behind.

She ducked under her fist, catching her by the arm and throwing her over her shoulder, slamming her down onto the ground and poofing her instantly.

Another jumped as her, and she jumped as well, slamming her knee into their gem nose, shattering them and sending shards scattering to the earth.

She spun around, catching a spear in her palm and kicking out into the soldier that thrust it at her, sending him skidding back across the ground.

* * *

Deep in the temple, floating in that room above the fire for which it was named, a green gem sat.

 _Why am I here..?_ He wondered, unable to feel himself. He was in his gem. He was in a bubble.

He was alive.

Why would he be alive?

Why would 127 miscalculate like this?

Why would he let such an obvious danger into the temple?

Was he only staying with the Gems to survive? Would he break away from them as soon as Bloodstone was out of the way?

No, no 127 wasn't like that. He was always much too... Laid back for such a thing. Hatred required for something like that would be much too much energy for 127.

But why? Why would he let 107 live?

Why would he put them all in danger?

Was Earth already damaging his brain?

Then again, 107 didn't have any problem with the Gems. He was neutral on the matter.

He didn't intend on hurting them, but he very well could. He could break free from this bubble, pop all of the others, and let chaos out on the entire planet.

The green bubble expanded, a white light entering it. It popped quickly, and the green gem fell forward, reforming quickly, landing on his hands and feet.

He looked up with an emotionless expression, glancing around the Burning Room.

"Hm... So this is where the Crystal Gems keep their captured Gem Beasts." His eyes drifted to a circular green gem, the one that could very well have belonged to the centipeedle.

"Huh... Such a relic. A magnificent piece of history..." He reached out to the bubble, but stopped himself.

"Some things are better left in the past, or so I've heard." The green gem, looking identical to Emerald in every way, other than those eyes, turned around, walking towards the wall.

His screen appeared from his gem, and he stared at the walls of the room. Soon enough, he walked to a specific wall, and held his screen up to it. The door was revealed, and opened quickly, 107 pressing a few keys on his floating pad to do so.

He stepped out into the home that surrounded the temple door, glancing around.

His eyes drifted to the Warp Pad, and he began walking to it.

 _Ah, yes. Another relic. This world is... Such a marvelous piece of history. Everything is so... Nearly prehistoric. I must wonder, what are the lifeforms like nowadays? I've only read about these homo sapiens. They must truly be something for us to base our forms on theirs..._

As 107 lifted one foot to the Warp Pad, the door was kicked open. He glanced at a moderate speed with an empty expression- his only expression- to the door.

Cuprite glanced at him, and his eyes narrowed. In his hands, a large hammer, nearly twice the short purple gem's size, appeared.

It looked like some sort of war hammer, black inscriptions running up and down it's sides.

A spike came from the stone hammer, piercing through the very top of the hammer. Just above the actual hammer.

"An Emerald..!" Cuprite said. "But what would an Emerald be doing here... Unless, you're that Crystal Gem traitor!" Cuprite said, pointing the heavy hammer at 107 with ease.

"Inaccurate." 107 said easily. "I am Emerald Engineer T785107. Referred to as 107 to save time." 107 said, staring blankly and without hostility at Cuprite.

"Then how did you get here?" Cuprite questioned, not believing a word out of 107's mouth.

"Via... What do the Crystal Gems refer to it as? Bubble?" 107 tapped one finger to his chin as he spoke.

"Then you are that Emerald! Only he would use a Crystal Gem term!" Cuprite aimed his hammer at 107, who sighed.

"Sir, I assure you I am not-"

Cuprite roared, shooting off the ground at 107.

107 sighed, his energy blade appearing over his left hand.

"How complex my life has become in the span of a few moments..."

* * *

"I don't know who you are, but you stay the hell away from my kids!" Fryman said, slamming a soldier into a brick wall.

"Dad!" Peedee, sitting on the ground and looking up at the two in shock, said.

The soldier groaned, trying to force back Fryman's arms. "You're nothing to me!"

Fryman groaned, being pushed back and skidding across the ground.

"Don't underestimate humans!" Ronaldo said as he ran in from behind, smashing a board over the soldiers head and jarring him, giving Fryman the option to shove him back, where he stumbled, Peedee crouching behind him and making him trip, falling backwards onto the concrete.

The soldier growled, a pistol like blaster appearing in hand as he prepared to end the family.

That was, until a metal support beam was dropped from a crane, crushing the soldier instantly.

As the dust cleared, they all looked up to see Onion operating the crane, giving them a thumbs up.

They all smiled, returning the thumbs up.

* * *

"Does nothing ever stay calm around here?!" Connie asked herself as she ran down the streets, hearing screams going off around every corner.

She wasn't sure where the Gems were, but she knew she'd been left out of something important.

Maybe that was a good thing.

Maybe she was still in Beach City for a reason.

Well, she knew her first objective. Find Greg, get the Laser Light Cannons. They'd need all the fire power they could get.

"Mr Universe?!" She called down the streets, getting no response.

"Hey, Connie, right?" A familiar pizza car stopped at her side, and she looked up at the teens inside of it.

"Get in, kid. We're going for a ride." Buck said, smirking at Connie, who smirked in return.

She opened up the door to the back seat, jumping into the car. "You guys are a life saver!" She said, and Jenny smiled back at her.

"You got a plan?" Jenny asked, and Connie smirked/smiled.

"As a matter of fact..."

* * *

107 jumped back quickly as Cuprite's hammer smashed through the floor of Steven's house, landing on his counter with ease, crouching slightly as to not hit his head on the ceiling.

"Please restrain yourself." He pleaded blankly, but Cuprite didn't listen, swinging his hammer again, smashing the counter to pieces.

"The Crystal Gems will be displeased with their home becoming such a mess... That is, if they get back from their battle with Bloodstone..."

107's mind drifted to 127. Was he... Worried for 127?

He back flipped, Cuprite's hammer smashing the floor once again.

Yes, yes that fit. Worried, most gems would deny such a feeling.

But like he did everything else, 107 took it with ease.

He was not programed for denial.

Cold and calculating, that was what he was. That and nothing more.

"Sir, I do not wish to use force. Fighting back will result in my destruction at the hands of Yellow Diam-"

"You're already dead!" Cuprite swung, smashing through the staircase to Steven's bed.

107 sighed. "Of course, I couldn't have gotten someone calm like Hematite to find me... If this planet has even affected him, what might it hold for me..?" 107 wondered aloud, and Cuprite snarled, angered that he wasn't paying attention to him.

Cuprite shot off the ground at 107, who held up his energy blade, which formed a shield, blocking the hammer as he was thrown back through the window from the force, wincing as he broke through the railing of the deck, falling to the beach.

Cuprite jumped above him, pulling back the hammer and swinging down. Once again, 107 blocked, being thrown into the sand with an explosion, plums of it flying into the air.

"Troublesome..." 107 groaned, pulling himself from the sand as Cuprite landed before him.

"Your mine!" Cuprite snarled, pulling his hammer back to smash 107's head.

His eyes suddenly widened, blood seeping from his mouth, which hung agape in shock.

"Correction." 107 said without emotion, staring up at Cuprite as his energy blade pierced through his exposed stomach.

"I belong to Yellow Diamond's fourteenth squadron, not you." 107 said as Cuprite coughed and sputtered, stepping back as blood seeped from his mouth.

"I... Lost to an Emerald?" Cuprite said in disbelief, falling to his hands and knees, holding his wound as blood seeped through his hand.

"You lost to Emerald number 107, an adept Emerald used in the training of other Emerald's and the most dangerous missions." 107 corrected.

107 turned around, walking away from Cuprite, who looked up at him in surprise. "A-aren't you gonna finish me?"

"A waste of energy." 107 said simply, glancing over his shoulder at Cuprite.

"Now, I have other things to attend to." 107 continued to walk away, but Cuprite stood slowly, his blood dripping from his mouth and wound.

"W-wait, you can't go back to the others, they know you've assaulted a higher up. They'll have your head!"

107 stopped.

"I suppose your right, yes." He said, not looking over his shoulder at Cuprite.

"Then it looks like I'm out of a job." He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"127, you idiot..."

 _Yes, how much can go on in the span of an hour. Just a few moments was all it took, and suddenly I'm stuck on this planet. That's fine, I suppose... Homeworld is not a home, I'm aware of this. But I have no use for a home. Useless attachments.  
_

Once again, 107's thoughts drifted to 127.

"Yes..." He looked from the beach to the burning city.

"Useless attachments."

* * *

The soldier stumbled back, feeling the sting of the metal baseball bat.

"If I can hit those crazy Eclipse kids with a bat, I'll sure as hell kick your ass with one!" Lars said, smacking him upside the head again.

Sadie rushed across the Big Donut, holding a spear made of wood. Had she make another one after Eclipse broke her first?

She rammed it through the soldier's chest, pushing him against a wall.

"B-but... How..?" The soldier asked, wide eyed with blood seeping from his mouth.

"Earthlings win, hands down." Lars smirked, and the soldier poofed away.

Sadie took it upon herself to curb stomp the gem that lay on the ground.

The two smirked at one another, before they heard a honk outside.

They rushed outside to see Jenny, Buck, and Connie waiting for them in their car.

"Come on, there's no time to waste!" Connie said, opening up a door to the back seat and gesturing for them to get in.

Lars and Sadie shrugged at one another before running to the car, jumping in.

* * *

Mayor Dewey hid under his desk as he heard his door being kicked down.

Halite stood there, holding his two guards by the throat.

They choked and kicked, their faces turning blue.

Dewey was sweating, his mind racing.

Dewey looked up, seeing the gun he'd taped to the underside of his desk. He'd come to take a lot of emergency precautions since the second time he'd had to evacuate the city.

"Come on out, you pathetic human." Halite placed one foot on the desk, crushing it slowly under his foot.

"I know you are the highest up in this earthling civilization. Come out and maybe I kill you a bit quicker than these poor fools." Halite grinned, watching cracks spread through the desk.

Dewey took a deep breath, tearing the gun from it's place under his desk.

He jumped out from under the desk as it exploded into nothing but shards of wood, and took aim at the behemoth that held his dying guards, firing directly into his face.

Halite snarled in pain, feeling the sting of the bullet whipping by his face, tearing open his cheek.

He dropped the guards, who landed with a gasp.

He snarled, stepping forward as Dewey fired five more rounds.

They all slammed into Halite's chest plate, being caught in the metal.

"Well," Halite grabbed Dewey, pulling him up from the ground by the collar of his shirt. "It was a nice try."

He dropped Dewey, kicking him in the stomach and sending him back through the window behind him, watching him slam down onto the ground with a groan.

His abdomen burned with the searing heat that was the agony of broken ribs, and he struggled to stay conscious.

Halite grinned as he was about to jump down, when the armed guards jumped onto him, attempting to hold him back.

He growled, grabbing them and throwing them down off of himself, watching as they slammed onto the ground next to Dewey.

"You're making this more fun than I thought it would be." Halite grinned, and in his left hand a giant battle axe appeared.

It resembled Cuprite's hammer in color, but it's blade shun black instead of the grey stone that made Cuprite's hammer.

Just before he could jump down and end the three, however, he heard the sound of a beam firing.

His eyes widened as he looked up at the pink beam racing towards him, and he yelped in shock as he jumped back, the room he was in being blown apart in an instant.

Dewey's vision faded in and out as he looked up, seeing a van with Universe painted on the side, Greg standing next to the open back, which happened to have a Laser Light Cannon aiming out of it.

"Get him in here, quick!" Greg ordered, and the guards nodded quickly, picking up Mayor Dewey lightly, helping him into the back of the van, where the fish pizza family waited, sitting bunched up in the already cramped van.

Dewey was laid down on Greg's bed, and Greg got quickly into the drivers seat as the guards got into the back.

"Where are we going?" Nanafue asked, looking at Greg from the passenger seat.

"Connie's mom is a doctor, right?" Greg glanced at Nanafue, who nodded.

"Then I know where we're going."

* * *

"No matter how advanced a civilization is, it always burns the same..." 107 said, walking down the streets of Beach City.

He watched a building explode in a pink light in the distance, but he chose to shrug it off.

He heard something honking at him, and he looked over his shoulder at the pizza delivery car driving down the street towards him.

he stared at it with mild boredom as it stopped abruptly, and out of it jumped a small human child, holding a pink sword with a rose on it.

"Emerald, what are you doing out here? You need to be helping people!" Connie said, and 107 thought for a moment.

 _She must be mistaking me for 127... I'm sure that will never get old._

Connie's eyes narrowed, and in an instant, she'd drawn her sword. "You're not Emerald, Emerald would have said some sarcastic and/or whiny thing to me by now!"

After Emerald's first interaction with Connie, they haven't exactly been on the best terms...

"What gave me away?" Something in 107's tone told Connie that was rhetorical.

"Then who are you? Who's side are you on?" Connie asked.

"I just wish to leave this burning city. I have no side, and I have no intent to help either of you. I'd rather just find a nice cave to sit in and wait for Bloodstone to hunt me down."

Connie lowered her sword. "So you're just going to wait for them to come kill you?"

"What else is there to do?"

"Well if you were to help us, you could live here after we defeat Bloodstone."

"One does not simply defeat Bloodstone."

"But wouldn't you rather take a chance at survival then role over and get a certain death?"

"It doesn't matter. If I die, another Emerald will just take my place. I am not important." 107 said, but Connie only smiled at him.

"Maybe on Homeworld, but not here." Connie offered her hand to 107. "Here you're just as valuable as anyone else. Here you're one of a kind."

"... You mistook me for another Emerald earlier. How did you know I wasn't him?" 107 stared at Connie's hand.

"Well physically you're built the same, but the way you speak and act... Emerald has some sort of life in his eyes that you just don't have. You're different. Something sets you apart from him and all of the other Emerald's." Connie said, smiling.

"Well then... I am Emerald 107, you may refer to me as 107 to avoid confusion." 107 took Connie's hand.

"And I accept your offer."

* * *

Rob the Robonoid skittered under the feet of three soldiers, spraying it's tooth-paste like goo under their feet, making them slip.

He continued to skitter ahead, quickly spotting a familiar child.

Rob jumped up, landing on Onion's back. Onion looked back at Rob in surprise, before sighing silently in relief to see it was only him.

Onion looked to the boat coming towards the dock, and though his facial expression didn't change, a bit of mischievous glee sparkled in his eyes.

It had been too long since he got to fire that harpoon on something.

* * *

Greg's van pulled to a stop in front of Fun Land Arcade, where he could see everyone else had gathered.

They all got out, pulling Dewey out on his mattress, setting him down in the center of the floor.

Greg looked around, and quickly spotted Connie's mother, who was wrapping bandages around her husband's arm.

"Where's Connie?" He asked his wife, wincing.

"She's out getting more people together..." Mrs. Maheswaran, wincing at her own words, said as she helped him sit against the wall.

He forced a smile, though there was clearly worry behind it. "I'm sure she'll be fine..."

"We've got another injured!" Mr, Smiley said, and doctor Maheswaran looked over her shoulder at Mayor Dewey, her eyes widening.

"We've really got to have a talk with those Gems after this..."

* * *

"I'm sure by now everyone's gotten to Fun Land Arcade, and that's where we'll make our stand." Connie said as they drove down the road of Beach City, the screams having died down.

Lars and Sadie both stared at 107, who looked at both of them, his expression unchanging. "What?"

"N-nothing!" They said in unison, looking away from him at the same time.

107 said nothing looking ahead once again.

107 wasn't sure what this 'Fun Land Arcade' was, but he knew that he and the 'Connie' could make quick work of the soldiers.

But if Cuprite were to show up, or worse if his supervisor were helping in the invasion, that would be another story.

What do the humans say?

The ground in front of their car explode into the air, and Jenny slammed on the breaks.

Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear, correct?

Halite stood slowly, glaring at the car full of humans, his axe in one hand as he stared them down. His cape was gone, as it had been destroyed in the blast from the Laser Light Cannon.

His helmet was gone as well, and his chest plate had been thrown to the side.

"Hm..." 107 stared blankly at Halite, while everyone other than Connie showed some form of fear.

"You..." Halite stared 107 down. "You're the Emerald that assaulted Cuprite!" Halite was clearly disgusted, as if 107 had truly betrayed them.

"He started it." 107 stated plainly.

Connie unsheathed her sword, preparing to jump out of the car. "You go on ahead, I'll hold off this one."

"What?!" Sadie looked at her in surprise.

"There's no way we're leaving a kid behind to fight that big... Thing!" Jenny said.

"You don't have a choice! Look, I'm sure 107 will be able to devise a plan that can-"

"No. They are correct." 107 placed a hand on Connie's shoulder, and she looked up in surprise at him.

"You are not physically capable of fighting Halite. You will last approximately fourteen minutes and seven seconds before he slices off your right arm." 107 stated plainly.

"After that, you will be helpless, and he will make short work of you." 107 stood, opening the door to the car and stepping out while Connie was still slightly surprised by his words.

"I, however," 107's blade appeared. "Have a thirty eight percent chance of defeating him." 107 said plainly, and Halite's grin widened.

"Besides, your human companions will trust you more than they will trust me. You staying behind would lead to the downfall of your survival effort and ultimately your city."

"But 107, why would you do this? I thought your only interest was survival?" Connie said, unable to understand the reason behind 107's actions.

"This would work out better for me in the long run. Either I die here, or I die later due to you failing here. But if I succeed here, we just might both survive." 107 stated plainly, not looking over his shoulder at Connie as he prepared to battle.

"But-"

"Go!" The sudden raise in 107's voice shocked Connie to silence, and Jenny put the peddle to the floor, speeding off.

"Huh, you've only been on their side for an hour, and you've already caught this earth-loving disease." Halite readied his axe, and 107 rolled his eyes.

 _Ah yes, what just a few moments can do._

"You are incorrect in your assuming. I am but trying to survive."

 _127..._

"By getting yourself killed? And I thought Emerald's were supposed to be smart!" Halite shot off the ground at 107, who's stood ready.

 ** _You idiot..._**

* * *

 **Well, this chapter came out a bit quick, now didn't it? I just got kinda hype I guess... Don't expect this as a regular thing.  
**

 **A little thank you for getting me past 300 Reviews.**

 **But please don't kill me for not showing any of the Kindergarten or other fights. They'll be in the next chapter, which will hopefully be here by Sunday.  
**

 **Hopefully...**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	44. Chapter 43: Phase 1 (Part 3)

**Thanks go to Guest, Kagehime-sama53, Blue topaz the 5th, SpectorChris, and Jak Fortune.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

Bloodstone caught Howlite's fist, ducking under a kick from Matrix.

He shot up, swinging his scythe down at Howlite, who bent backwards away from it, landing on his hands and jumping back, landing on his feet as Bloodstone shot forward, ramming his knee into his chest and throwing Howlite back across the room, smashing into the ground that surrounded the Kindergarten Control Room.

Bloodstone grinned as he pulled back one fist, slamming it into Howlite's face again and again.

"Oh you have no idea how great this feels!" Bloodstone grabbed Howlite by the hair, pulling him up to eye level and grinning.

Howlite's eyes snapped open, and a certain... Hunger flickered in them for a moment.

Bloodstone's eyes widened slightly as he noticed this, fear flickering in his own eyes as he slammed his foot into Howlite's chest, sending him flying into the wall, burying him effectively.

Before he could turn around, he reached backwards, catching a spear.

He looked back over his shoulder at Matrix, who glared at him before Bloodstone pulled him forward by the spear.

They both slammed their foreheads together, glaring into each others eyes.

"You know... It's been awhile since I've been able to hate someone as much as I hate you two." Bloodstone said, and they both continued to stand there, their foreheads continuing to press against one another as they quite literally butted heads.

"Funny, I was just thinking the same thing." Matrix smirked hatefully, as did Bloodstone.

"And I've been around a long, long time, boy." Bloodstone grinned. "I just hope that Hematite can still be interesting enough to play with after I finish you two... That bastard will get what's coming to him."

"Do you honestly believe he's the one in the wrong?"

Bloodstone laughed. "Oh please, like I think I'm in the right here." Matrix's eyes widened at Bloodstone's words, and Bloodstone kicked him back.

"I just really, really don't care."

* * *

Hematite slashed through a soldier's blade, cutting them in two.

He grit his teeth, spinning and slashing down several more.

Pearl glanced over at him momentarily. She got that they were competing, but he seemed... Eager to finish up here.

"You seem to be in kind of a rush." Pearl said, jumping over Hematite and stabbing a soldier through the forehead.

"The sooner we're done here, the sooner I can get to Bloodstone..." Hematite's teeth grit.

 _Zeolite..._

* * *

107 jumped back, landing on his hands before jumped back again, landing on his feet.

Halite shot forward, swinging his axe at him from the side, and 107's energy blade became a shield, blocking the attack with a solid thud, the ground under him cracking as he winced.

Halite shot forward and past the shield, slamming his knee into 107's chin and throwing him into the air.

Halite appeared above him, pulling back his free fist and slamming it into his face, throwing him into the concrete, which exploded into the air.

Blood dripped from 107's brow as he panted, climbing from the hole he was in, crawling.

Halite shot from the sky above him, holding his axe above him with two hands, preparing to swing down.

107's blade formed a bubble around him, and he stared up at Halite as his axe slammed into the dome, showing no expression.

"Come on! Beg for your life! Be afraid!" Halite demanded, but 107 just kept that blank expression.

"I have no interest in helping you get off, sir." 107 said blankly, though when Halite glared at him, the tiniest of grins formed on his face.

"Oh I'm gonna enjoy crushing you!" Halite pulled his axe up once more, but as he swung down, the dome disappeared, and 107 dodged to the side in an instant, the axe exploding into the earth.

107 shot up, pulling back his fist as the green formed around, forming a gauntlet.

Halite's eyes widened in shock, 107's fist slamming into his face and throwing him back through the air, trying to catch himself but to no avail, slamming into the side of a building.

Halite growled, stepping out from the hole in the wall and glaring at 107.

"You... Your defective! Emerald's can only make shields and blades!" Halite snarled, a second axe appearing in his free hand.

"That is accurate. Though I have found that my 'defect', as you call it, seems to be more of a gift." 107 said blankly, green energy chains with blades at the end falling from his hand, and Halite's teeth grit.

"If you think I'll lose to some defective Emerald, you're wrong!"

Halite shot off the ground at 107, pulling back both axes.

Once again, 107 sighed.

* * *

Matrix's head was thrown back, Bloodstone's fist slamming into it.

His head was only pushed slightly to the side, and he glared at Bloodstone as he pushed it back into place.

Howlite jumped from behind, snapping his teeth at Bloodstone's shoulder, Bloodstone reaching over and catching him by the jaws, slamming his down at Matrix, who jumped back, throwing his spear at Bloodstone, who's head moved slightly to the side, the spear flying by.

Bloodstone shot forward at Matrix, pulling his fist back and thrusting it forward at Matrix's abdomen, Matrix blocking with both hands and wincing as he was thrown back, skidding across the ground before Bloodstone appeared before him, pulling back one leg and slamming it into the side of his neck, throwing him across the ground.

Bloodstone shot over him, pulling back both hands as orbs of black appeared in each hand, but as he prepared to fire, Howlite shot forward, slamming his knee directly into Bloodstone's face, his nose bending as blood flew through the air, flying back and into the wall.

Bloodstone growled in pain as Howlite landed in front of him, glaring as his hands tightened, his finger nails sharp like claws.

Bloodstone stood, grabbing hold of his bent nose and bending it back into place with a snap, not breaking eye contact with Howlite.

"You two make quit the team. If you worked on it a little bit, you'd be an actual threat." Bloodstone's scythe appeared, and he grinned.

"Lucky me, you hate each other."

Matrix shot from the hole he was in, jumping over Howlite and pulling back one fist as he lunged at Bloodstone, who jumped back, Matrix landing in front of him and slamming one fist into the ground.

Howlite shot over Matrix, pulling back one leg and kicking at Bloodstone, who back flipped away just in time.

Matrix shot from the side around Howlite, throwing a punch that was caught by nothing but air, making Matrix stumble, Bloodstone grabbing him by the wrist after dodging the punch by moving to the right.

He rammed his knee into Matrix's abdomen, letting him fall forward as Howlite jumped from above, coming down with a kick that Bloodstone caught with both hands, wincing as he held Howlite back.

Matrix jumped up, slamming both fists into Bloodstone's gut, making him cough saliva as Howlite was dropped, moving at lighting speed over Bloodstone's shoulder, landing on two feet and one hand, skidding and spinning, sweeping out Bloodstone's feet as Matrix conjoined his fists over him.

Howlite jumped into the air as Matrix slammed his fists down on Bloodstone's abdomen, smashing him into the dirt.

Bloodstone bounced once, and Howlite came from above, slamming both feet into Bloodstone's face, slamming his head back into a crater as the rest of his body flung up.

Howlite back flipped off of Bloodstone as Matrix jumped back as well, and they stood side by side in fighting stances as Bloodstone stood slowly, panting and glaring at them.

"Oh how I loath the two of you..."

* * *

"Connie!" Connie's mother scooped her up in an instant, hugging her tightly.

Her father joined in, and she smiled as returned the hug.

All of the children were quickly greeted by their parents, being hugged and told just how much they'd been worried.

Buck looked around, and his eyes widened upon seeing his fathers injured guards outside of a tent seemed to be set up for helping the wounded.

"Where's my dad?" Buck asked, trying not to sound worried as he looked to Mrs. Maheswaran.

"He was kicked in the stomach by some brute... He's got a few broken ribs, but luckily they didn't puncture anything. He's not in the best condition, but with my help, he'll survive." She explained, and Buck only looked slightly relieved.

Sadie was being held by her giant of a mother, slightly surprised that she was able to lift her.

Sour Cream looked around. "Where's Onion? And Mom?"

* * *

Onion drove on a motorized scouter down the street, Rob the Robonoid on his shoulder as he went.

A building top exploded, and Onion's eyes widened as he saw the green figure shooting through it.

107 landed on his feet and one hand, skidding and panting across the ground as Halite came from above, pulling back his axe.

107's rocket boots kicked on, and he launched forward at Halite, pulling back his gauntlet fist and slamming it into Halite's chest, throwing him back through the air and sending his axe spiraling to the ground.

Towards Onion.

107 looked over his shoulder at the axe, watching as it descended on the boy.

He wasn't sure what made him shoot after it as fast as he did. But something about that kid just made him have to save him.

Maybe all Emerald's felt compelled to protect Onion.

107 shot by, grabbing Onion and holding him close as the axe slashed through the scouter.

Onion stared up at 107 as he set him down, staring right back at him.

"I'm not that Emerald." 107 said, and Onion nodded, as it to say 'duh.'

107 looked to Rob, before looking back to Onion.

"Why do you have a robonoid?" He asked, and Onion stepped closer, whispering something in his ear.

"... 127 has gone defective as well..." 107 said simply, standing and looking behind himself as he saw Halite pushing out of rubble, growling and panting.

"Alright, you get out of here and to that Fun Land Arcade. That's where all of the other homo sapiens are." 107 turned around to face Halite, who grabbed his axe from the ground, glaring and panting at 107.

Blood ran from a wound in 107's forehead, covered by his hair, down into his right eye, making him wince as Onion ran off towards Fun Land.

Halite grinned. "Helping humans already, huh?" Halite shot off the ground at 107. "You're pathetic!"

"And you're losing to an Emerald." 107 ducked and dodged around heavy axe swings, jumping and landing crouched on the axe, aiming his gauntlet hand at Halite's face, opening it's palm as a blast formed in a hole in it's palm, making it look like a blaster.

"So we both suck." The blast fired, engulfing Halite's head and making him stumble back, grabbing his head and roaring in pain.

107 back flipped off of his axe, landing on his feet and looking to his left hand. The green energy on it shifted lightly.

 _Power remaining is thirty nine percent... Using more than the blade and bubble wall burn through energy twenty percent faster. If I do get through Halite, I'll have to do it quickly, then I'll have to go into power conservation. That will make getting through soldiers... A bit more difficult._

107 took a deep breath as Halite stood from where he'd fallen to the ground, holding his burnt face.

"Oh you think you're so funny, don't you?" Halite asked, picking his axe up once again.

"I was not programmed for comedy, it's just something i picked up. Kind of like you and your weird gore fetish." Upon 107's words, Halite roared in anger, shooting off the ground at 107.

127 had taught 107 a thing or two about taunting.

107's expression hardened, and an energy cannon appeared around his arm.

107 fired into the ground before Halite as he jumped back, blowing the bulky gem back as he landed on his feet skidding back.

Halite shot through the dust, panting and looking around with the eyes of a mad dog.

"Up her big guy."

Halite looked up to see 107 standing at the top of a house, looking down at him.

His gem glowed, and his energy blade began to form around his arm.

"Prototype Mode Activation in progress..." He said in a robotic tone, And his energy blade shifted rapidly.

"What the hell?!" Halite said in shock, watching as the blade grew, reaching over 107's shoulder and spiraling up in a drill shape from his shoulder.

The blade started at his elbow, reaching over his hand and coming to a point over his fist.

The blade finished with a boom, green energy circling 107 as a shock wave exploded outward, forcing Halite to throw his hands up to block, skidding backwards as he stuck his axe into the ground to keep from going flying.

"Prototype Activation success..." A grin cracked across 107's face.

"Now let's go."

* * *

Bloodstone jumped to the side, Matrix shooting by with one fist forward, his fist slamming into the wall of dirt and getting stuck for a moment.

The walls shook from the force of the punch, and Peridot looked over her shoulder at them, seeing Lapis cut down a soldier in the process.

"If you two could not bring this place down on top of us, that'd be great!"

Matrix was going to shoot her a glare, when a multicolored hand shot from the dirt, grabbing him by the face.

A screech was heard as a multicolored, misshapen head shot from the wall, screeching at him.

Matrix glared at the Cluster experiment, pulling back his head and slamming it into the gem cluster in it's forehead, smashing it with his skull, blood trickling down his forehead from the force.

"Well... This is problematic." Bloodstone looked around at the Clusters beginning to come from the walls, sauntering towards them.

Howlite jumped by one, jumping onto it's back and sinking his teeth into it's gem, shattering it and spitting out the shards.

"I'd probably get a disease from eating that..." he said, before quickly looking up to see Bloodstone shooting at him knee first, catching it and sliding back across the ground.

Bloodstone pulled back his free leg, kicking Howlite in the side of the neck and sending him into the wall.

Howlite groaned, before a hand shot through the wall, grabbing him. "Gah! Disgusting things!" He pulled the Cluster through the wall, slamming it onto the ground and stomping on it's face repeatedly.

Bloodstone dodged a cluster with ease, cutting it in two with his scythe.

Another jumped down from above him, and he put up one hand, sending a wave of black energy into it and obliterating it along with a bit of the ceiling.

* * *

Garnet jumped back from a soldier's attack, and as the soldier jumped forward at her, Bloodstone's blast came through the ground between them, the soldier jumping into it and being obliterated.

Garnet looked into the hole, seeing Howlite and Matrix standing back to back, destroying Cluster after Cluster.

Lapis could be seen extending her wings, stabbing seven Clusters or soldiers at a time.

Bloodstone kicked one with enough force to make it retreat to its gem, which was thrown across the room from the force of the kick, exploding against the wall.

Garnet looked up, seeing soldiers distracted with Clusters, and she groaned. "Well I guess I'll have to start earning their trust a bit early..."

She shot off the ground, slamming through a cluster that was about to kill a solider, who looked at her with confusion and thanks.

"Come on, we've gotta get ride of these things! You can keep trying to kill me after that if you want!" Garnet said, kicking a Cluster back.

The soldiers looked at one another, before shrugging in agreement, working with Garnet to defeat the Clusters.

* * *

107 disappeared in an instant, the ground where he had stood a moment ago cracking and denting inward.

He appeared above Halite, pulling his blade into the air and bringing it down on the behemoth, who blocked with the handle of his axe, which gave way almost instantly, making Halite jump back as 107 slashed into the ground.

107 shot forward at Halite, his blade still in the ground as he cut up the concrete in his path.

Halite jumped back again, but 107 shot up, slashing his chest open and sending blood spewing through the air.

107 jumping into the air, spinning and kicking one foot out into Halite's face, sending him flying through the building behind him, coming out from the other side as the building collapsed in front of him.

He groaned, looking up as he saw 107 jumping over the rubble and pulling back his left arm, the blade forming three tendrils that shot forward, stabbing into the ground around him and pulling 107 down at lightning speed, slamming both feet into Halite's chest and creating a crater.

Halite coughed blood into the air as 107 grabbed him by the collar, pulling him up to eye level.

"You referred to me as 'just an Emerald' earlier." 107's tendrils formed three jagged claws. "I'd like to correct you."

Fear appeared in Halite's eyes as 107 pulled back his claw. "I'm 107. Not just an Emerald, no, not an Emerald."

"Just 107."

Halite roared in pain, 107's claws tearing through his chest and out of his back, blood spilling out onto the street.

107 stood, sighing as his claw disappeared, panting slightly. "Damn... That took up twenty percent of my power in just thirty seconds..."

"That means currently I couldn't go into that form for even thirty seconds..." 107 looked at Halite's gem, but then realized how much energy he needed, and turned around, running towards Fun Land.

"Power Saving Mode, on..."

* * *

"Alright, I'm bored." Blue Diamond held up one hand, an orb of blue suddenly appearing in it, growing quickly.

"Uh..." Pearl looked up into the sky as everything was tinted blue from the blue sphere of energy in Blue Diamond's hand. "What's she doing?"

"Run." Hematite said, staring up at the ball as well.

"What? Why-"

"RUN!"

Hematite and Pearl jumped quickly to the tops of the ridges, watching as Blue fired into the trench, an explosion blowing shards of soldiers high into the air, deepening the trench to an unseen depth.

Hematite and Pearl glanced at one another from across the trench before looking up to Blue Diamond, who smiled as she floated down.

"Army's all gone." She said, looking to the direction of the Kindergarten.

"Now you two go on to the Kindergarten." She said, her smile fading.

"What about you?" Pearl asked.

"Me?" Blue Diamond smirked.

 **"I'm going to help my nephew."**

* * *

 **And there you have it! Next chapter will probably be the end of Phase 1 and/or the beginning of Phase 2. And that is when things are really gonna get real.  
**

 **Now then, As a note, I hope you guys start checking not just on Sunday's, because with how hyped I am at this point, especially about how next chapter will end, *Cough cliff hanger cough cough* you should be ready for chapters in the middle of the week.**

 **I don't have too much of a problem with the lack of reviews last chapter, because it was more of a gift for 300 reviews, but for this chapter I would like to see more than five.**

 **So what threat could Halite's group pose without him and Cuprite?**

 **How long will Garnet's alliance with Bloodstone's men last?  
**

 **Will Matrix and Howlite be able to defeat the Gem Reaper?**

 **How much longer until Peridot and Emerald have deactivated the Cluster?  
**

 **Why didn't Blue Diamond just immediately destroy the armies?**

 **Will Hematite get his shot at Bloodstone?**

 **Seriously, the f#ck Blue Diamond?  
**

 **Can you guess what Game series 107's Prototype Mode is based off of?**

 **Now, you're probably wondering why I haven't shown the others fighting the soldiers. Well currently, all that's happening is them crushing soldier after soldier. Seems like that'd be boring to read and write.**

 **Anyways, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	45. Chapter 44: Phase 1 (Part 4)

**Thanks go to Kagehima-sama53, Guest, Orange Topaz Flaming Lion, fanfic writer 117, Primus1661, SpectorChris, Jak Fortune, and CamoFrogadier.  
**

 **So most of you guessed correctly that 107's Prototype Mode is, in fact, based off of the game series (Does two games count as a series? Meh.) Prototype. I'm glad, as I made it kind of obvious.  
**

 **Now, for all of your sakes, I hope you're ready.**

 **Bwuha...**

 **Bwuhahaha...**

 **BWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-**

 ***Cough, wheeze, gag***

 **ECH! Sorry about that... Something uh... Something in my throat.**

 **Nice save, Wolf. Nice save.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"Here they come!" Connie yelled, watching as ten soldiers shot towards the entrance of Fun Land Arcade, where they'd built a barricade of games and tables and such.

She jumped forward, crossing swords with a soldier as Greg could be seen behind the wall of tables, setting up the Light Cannons with Fryman and Ronaldo.

Dewey's armed guards returned fire as they were shot at with blasters, Connie cutting through the soldier, flipping over him and slashing down his back.

She spun around, her blade colliding with another soldier's as Sadie ran by, stabbing at a soldier, who dodged quickly, pulling back a fist to throw a punch before a baseball bat slammed into her face, blood flying through the air as she fell back.

Sadie stabbed the soldier as Lars stood back to back with her, holding his baseball bat.

A particularly bulky soldier, gem centered in his chest, rushed across the battle field at the two, but before he could make it, a shotgun blast was heard, his gem chest being blown apart as Vidalia stood behind him, smirking as she cocked her shotgun once again, the gem disappearing.

Onion slide into the Arcade on a trail of toothpaste goop being created by Rob on his back, holding out a metal pole to his side and sweeping out the legs of the soldier's he passed.

Onion sat up, his back hitting the wall of tables as Rob jumped up, spitting goop into the face of a nearby soldier, giving Sour Cream the opening to smash the guitar from the _Guitar Hero_ game over his head.

* * *

107 stared at the arcade from a roof top, watching as more and more soldiers filtered in.

He sighed, knowing that he had to help if they were to win, but also knowing that he couldn't so much as use his weapon while conserving power.

"The things I do to survive... Sometimes I wonder if it's even worth it." He rolled his eyes, knowing full well that it was.

"I believe the Earthling term for what I just said is 'Edgy'." He rolled his eyes. "Used in a derogatory sense..."

He jumped down, kicking a soldier across the face and throwing him to the ground, the soldier having been creeping up on Connie.

"Huh?" Connie looked over her shoulder at 107, and smiled. "Glad to see you made it."

"It was not easy." He said, thinking back to the gem sitting on the sidewalk in a ruined city. He knew full well he should have crushed it but...

Murder.

Such a disgusting thing.

* * *

"Seriously, you two need to finish up!" Lapis said, catching a spear and spinning around, headbutting the one who thrust it at her, making her stumble back before her wings shot out, stabbing through her gem.

"Hey, you try bypassing all of these firewalls!" Emerald said, typing quickly.

"Just hold out for a few more minutes!" Peridot said, spinning around and blasting a soldier getting too close. "We need approximately seven point three two minutes to finish this!"

Bloodstone glanced over at them, and his eyes narrowed.

"Alright, I think play time is over." He held up one palm, floating through the hole in the ceiling.

"What's he-" Howlite tore a Cluster's gem from its face. "Doing?"

"Oh no..." Matrix stared up in horror as Bloodstone aimed a ball of black energy down into the hole, preparing to obliterate the Control Room!

"How did we not account for him doing this?" Howlite glanced over at Matrix. "I mean, it seems like a pretty simple solution for him, honestly."

"If I had to guess, it's because we're bad at planning." Matrix shrugged.

"Space God I know I said I don't believe in you but if there was one time for you to prove me wrong..." Emerald said, looking over at the black light washing over the Control Room.

In an instant, Bloodstone was thrown to the side, Garnet slamming one fist into the side of his cheek, throwing him across the Kindergarten as his blast fired through the ground, tearing up injectors and such as he went.

Emerald's face lit up. "Ha! There is no Space God! I'm always right!" He gloated, before the ceiling shook, a rock falling and landing dangerously close to him.

"Uh..." Emerald laughed nervously, before Peridot swatted him.

"We don't have time for your comic relief!" She said, looking at her screen as she spoke.

"Right, right!" Emerald went back to his screen.

"Oh you bitch..." Bloodstone stood slowly, grabbing hold of his jaw and helping it back to its original placing.

Garnet landed in front of him, cracking her knuckles. "you can call me whatever you want, I'm still gonna beat you into the dirt."

Bloodstone growled, shooting off the ground at Garnet. "You think you can stand against me, fusion?!"

He swung at her from the side, and Garnet smirked.

Bloodstone's eyes widened in shock, Garnet catching his scythe in her gauntlet.

"Yeah, I do." She smirked, pulling Bloodstone forward into a fist, throwing him back.

Bloodstone stumbled back, shaking his head in attempt to shake off the shock. "Okay, this is different."

He jumped back, Matrix stabbing into the ground in front of him with his spear.

Howlite came from behind, kicking him square in the back with both legs, sending him forward into another punch from Garnet, uppercutting him into the air, where Matrix jumped up, pulling up both fists and conjoining them, slamming them down on Bloodstone's face.

"The hell is up with this crazy planet? The hell is up with these crazy rebels?!" Bloodstone asked himself as he sat up slowly. He could feel the terror that was panic rising up in him. It seemed as though they just kept getting stronger.

Though he knew the reality of it...

He reached up, touching his gem.

He was getting weaker.

 _Damn you, Howlite..._

* * *

"They just keep coming!" Amazonite smacked a soldier aside with her club, sending the soldier flying back through the ranks of the army.

"I don't think we'll be able to do this!" Amethyst said, rolling through a line of soldiers.

"Don't give up hope!" Steven said, throwing his shield into the face of a soldier before Lion roared him across the battlefield.

They panted, standing in a square once again.

"Am I intruding or..?"

They all looked up to see Blue Diamond floating above them.

"Blue?! What are you doing here! You're supposed to be-"

"I finished up early." She shrugged. "Figured I'd stop by, see how things were going over here."

"How did you-" Amethyst was cut off.

"You know I understand you haven't seen a Diamond in action, Amethyst, but..." Another blue sphere appeared in her hand.

"We're pretty amazing." She grinned, aiming down at the army as Lion opened a portal, all of them jumping through it to a safe distance.

Once again, the army was blown into the air in a flash of blue, the land outside of the forest being leveled.

"Whoa..." Steven stared in shock as Blue Diamond landed before them.

"Pretty cool, huh?" She grinned at Steven, stars in his eyes.

"Can you teach me how to do that?!"

* * *

107 kicked a soldier into the air, Connie coming from above and slashing through the soldier.

As his gem fell to the ground, 107 seemed to ignore it, moving on to the next soldier.

"Man, these guys are push overs! And they thought they could exterminate us?" Greg smashed a golf club across a soldier's face, throwing them back.

"The Gems outta start taking us on missions!" Connie joked, jumping by and finishing the soldier.

Greg laughed, before paling slightly. "Yeah... That'll be the day... Heh..."

"Eugh..."

* * *

Bloodstone dodged quickly between gauntlets, spears, and metallic maws.

He jumped back, back flipping as he kicking Matrix in the chin, sending him back through the air, landing on his feet as Howlite lunged at him, only to be blasted back in a wave of black.

Garnet came from above, slamming a fist into the ground where Bloodstone was a moment ago, Bloodstone dodging quickly- barely- around her fists.

He wasn't sure why he felt so off...

Yes he was.

He didn't know why he couldn't seem to fight them as well as before...

Yes he did.

This planet was a poison.

He caught Garnet's fist, snarling as he pulled back his own, slamming it directly into her face, throwing her back.

As she caught herself, Matrix jumped over her, throwing his spear at Bloodstone.

Bloodstone caught the spear, rolling his eyes as he knew full well what Matrix would do next.

He dodged to the side, throwing the spear to the side as Matrix kicked down from the air to right where he was a moment ago.

"Oh come on, every transmission of your battles has shown you using that move." Bloodstone rolled his eyes. "A little predictable, don't you think?"

"To be far this is the only time someone's avoided it." Matrix smirked, pulling his spear from his eye.

"Well your tricks won't work on me!" Bloodstone lunged forward, slashing his spear at Matrix.

It cut through.

A hologram.

"What?!" Bloodstone looked around, before a fist slammed down at the top of his head, throwing it down instantly as Matrix came from above.

"What was that you just said?!" Matrix landed on his feet, immediately bringing one knee up to Bloodstone's face, throwing him back through the air.

Howlite came from above, slamming both feet into Bloodstone's chest and slamming him into the ground.

"Just give up." Garnet said, Howlite jumping off of him and landing next to her as Matrix walked up next to them.

"It'll be a lot less depressing that way." Howlite grinned.

Bloodstone panted like a mad dog, standing slowly. "I... Am done..."

"Accurate." Matrix smirked. "You are done."

"No, I'm done playing..." Bloodstone reached for his cloak, all of there's eyes widening as they remembered something about the reapers cloaks.

Bloodstone grinned. "Get ready to feel true fear!"

The cloak exploded to the ground, throwing plums of dust into the air and making the three jump back as the ground under it became a crater.

"Where did he-" Howlite was cut off, his eyes widening as blood shot from his mouth and nose, a foot slamming deep into his abdomen, throwing him at lighting speed across the kindergarten, smashing into a wall and bringing it down on top of himself.

"Howlite!" Garnet watched the cliff side come down on top of him.

"Ha... Hahahahaha..." Bloodstone grinned, staring at the two with purely black eyes. His skin was black, red splotches resembling splatters of blood across it. One on the left side of his chest almost resembled a hand that was placed there as he cut someone down, and had slowly slid off.

"It's all over now!" Bloodstone shot off the ground at the two, pulling back his scythe.

There was a clang, and the dust was blown away by a shock wave.

Hematite stood, holding Bloodstone's scythe back with both blades. He glared directly into Bloodstone's black eyes with his own silver ones.

"Remember me?"

* * *

"Just... About..." Emerald trailed off, sweat running down his forehead.

"Done!" Peridot finished, and immediately a red light flashed in the Control Room.

"What's that?!" Lapis said, looking around.

"A bit of extra fun." Emerald grinned.

"This place is going to self destruct in the next few moments, we should leave." Peridot said, and Lapis's eyes widened.

"Warn me next time, you idiots!"

* * *

Bloodstone growled. "Oh good. Another person I hate."

"And here I thought we had something special." Hematite said with sarcasm, and Bloodstone snarled, putting more force on his scythe, making Hematite's blades shake as he was pushed back.

Bloodstone suddenly disappeared, Pearl spinning down from above and stabbing her sword into the ground where he once was.

Hematite and Pearl stood back to back, waiting for Bloodstone to reappear.

"You know, that position you two are in currently... It's eerily familiar." Bloodstone's voice echoed through the air.

"Hematite, have you found Zeolite's replacement so soon?" Bloodstone appeared with a grin, coming at them from above.

"I told you he was replaceable!"

Hematite snarled, shooting up and meeting his blade with his scythe once again, another shock wave throwing the loose top soil away.

"You're wrong!" Hematite snapped, slamming his head into Bloodstone's, much to the Reaper's shock.

"Zeolite wasn't just another stone damn it!" Hematite pulled back both blades, now above Bloodstone as we swung down.

Bloodstone was slashed to the ground, exploding into it.

Hematite's hands clenched tightly over his blades as he walked towards Bloodstone, who stood as his blood, now tinted black, ran down his chest from the two slashes.

"Zeolite had a lot more right to live than I do..." Hematite's blades shook.

"But I suppose this is my punishment for following you for so long..."

Hematite shot off the ground at Bloodstone. "So allow me to redeem myself!"

Bloodstone snarled, blocking his blades. Pearl came from above once again, and he jumped back, Pearl stabbing into the ground and kneeling as Hematite jumped over her, stabbing at Bloodstone, who dodged to the side.

Matrix stabbed at Bloodstone from behind, Bloodstone back flipping over his spear and kicking down at Matrix, who spun around quickly and blocked with his spear's shaft, which quickly broke in two from the force, throwing him into the ground.

Garnet shot at Bloodstone from the front, throwing both fists at him, Bloodstone catching both and sliding back slightly.

Hematite and Pearl slashed at his back from opposite sides, but before the blades could land, a shock wave of power threw them back through the air, Pearl and Hematite landing on their feet and skidding.

Bloodstone shot forward at Garnet as she skidded back, moving once again at lightning speed as he rammed one fist into her abdomen, a bulge appearing on her back from the force of the punch.

Garnet shot back through the air, skidding across the ground and making a trench through the Kindergarten.

* * *

"Damn dirty reapers and their damn dirty weighted clothes..." Howlite muttered, coughing blood as some still ran from his nose.

He pulled himself from the pile of rock he was buried under, er, his upper body at least. He looked down, and his eyes widened slightly.

One of his ribs poked from his side.

"Well that explains the horrible, burning, agonizing pain..." Howlite said, wincing slightly.

"First objective, don't go into shock..." He took a few deep breathes, pushing a boulder out from in front of him to help free himself.

"Second objective, get free..." Howlite began to pull himself from the rocks, blood dripping from his mouth as he did so, his eyes wide in pain.

"One kick did this..." He muttered, not doing too well in trying to free himself.

In an instant, the ground above the Control Room exploded into the air, making Howlite's eyes widen as he shielded himself from the roar of the flames.

An entire section of the Kindergarten had caved into the burning Control Room, the screams of Clusters and soldiers alike being heard.

"What just..." He looked almost frantically around the battle field.

"Okay, okay, they got out, they're fine. They're fine." He repeated to himself, trying to see through the smoke.

He felt himself begin to shake with fear.

They burned.

They died.

She burned.

She died.

Howlite found himself tearing himself from the rocks with more determination then he'd felt in awhile, coughing and wincing from the smoke.

He growled, closing his eyes. A wave of cold wind seemed to radiate from him, blowing the smoke away with force as he continued his walk towards the fire, blood dripping from his stomach, mouth, and nose.

He growled, standing over the burning sink hole.

He stood over it, hands clenched into fists as his breathes created frost in the air.

He roared, thrusting an open palm into the flames.

Waves of ice roared through the green flames, burning away and making steam fill the air. The fire was forced away, what was left of the Control Room freezing.

Howlite panted, the frost leaving his breath as he fell to his hands and knees, the steam making seeing difficult.

"I was always more of a cold person than a heat person anyway..." He coughed blood, fires still coating the ground in some places from flaming bits of rubble thrown into the air.

Smoke and steam swirled into the air, and Howlite struggled to keep his eyes open. It had been a long time since he'd had to retreat to his gem...

"Good god Howlite, didn't think you hated fire that much."

Howlite looked over his shoulder at Emerald, standing next to Peridot who stood next to Lapis.

He sighed in relief. "Oh thank space God..." He muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Peridot arched a brow at him.

"I said..." Howlite was up in an instant. "What the hell were you idiots thinking?! Blowing up the Control Room?!" Howlite snapped at them, the pain of his injuries blocked by his anger.

"Are you trying to get yourselves killed?! And what if some of us had been over that hole?!"

"It was the only way we could make sure Bloodstone couldn't reactivate it..." Emerald shrunk under Howlite.

"And you couldn't think to warn anyone?!"

* * *

Hematite dodged quickly around scythe slashes, the scythe blade sending black slashes of energy into the distance with each swing.

Hematite ducked directly under Bloodstone, ramming the handle of one blade into his gut and making him hunch over in pain, giving Hematite the perfect opportunity to slash upwards at his gem.

His eyes widened in shock, seeing his blade stop.

"I must say, while your motives and hopes are pointless, at least you damn rebels have helped me learn a few new tricks." Bloodstone held the blade in his teeth, grinning at Hematite.

"Oh shi-" Hematite's blank tone was cut off as he caught a fist to the abdomen, being thrown into the air after a shock wave blew dust away from them, Bloodstone jumping up after him, spinning and slamming his foot into the back of Hematite's head, sending him flying into the ground.

Bloodstone held up an open palm, black electricity jumping around his hand as a ball of black energy formed in it.

Pearl jumped at Bloodstone, pulling back her blade.

It was blocked with ease by Bloodstone's scythe, Bloodstone grinning from ear to ear, his eyes wide.

"DIE!"

The blast fired at lightning speed, growing the moment it left his palm as a black light covered the ground.

The black light was replaced with blue as a ball of blue energy slammed into the attacks side, exploding and throwing it off over the horizon, where it exploded, the explosion reaching high into the sky.

Bloodstone glared over to see Blue Diamond floating in the sky, her arms crossed. "Long time no see, Reaper."

"Huh. I could have swore you were still stuck in the albino." Bloodstone grinned, facing Blue as Pearl fell back to the ground, landing lightly and picking up Hematite, who was unconscious, taking him to the sidelines.

* * *

Howlite stared up at the sky as shock waves and burning blue and black lights appeared all across the sky, exploding in sonic booms and throwing clouds away.

But the dark of the night still remained.

Bloodstone and Blue Diamond's fists collided, a shock wave blowing through the sky as they glared at one another.

"Why don't you just give up?" Blue grinned, pulling back a glowing blue palm as Bloodstone pulled back a glowing black one.

"What do you take me for?! I do not lose!" Their blasts collided, exploding back at them, Blue engulfed in black as Bloodstone was engulfed in blue.

They both stood there, scorch marks coating them after the blasts.

"Look around Bloodstone." Blue Diamond grinned lightly.

"Your armies are gone."

107 slammed his fists into a soldiers sternum again and again, making him stumble back to a wall before he pulled back his hand, straightening his fingers to a point before thrusting them through the Gems chest, making him cough blood before returning to his gem.

"Your master plan is foiled."

The kindergarten fires continued to burn to the best of their abilities, gem shards coating the ground.

"Your second hand men have betrayed you and left you for dead."

Hematite forced one eye open as Pearl forced him to sit back down, telling him he would hurt himself. He grit his teeth, glaring up at Bloodstone.

"You. Have. Failed!"

There was silence over the Kindergarten. Bloodstone's hair fell over his eyes.

And then there was laughter.

"You... You honestly think I've lost?" Bloodstone put a hand on his face, grinning as his hand covered half of his face, his fingers open to reveal one pitch black eye.

"Don't you think I would have prepared a bit more than this, you filthy Diamond?!" Bloodstone's laughter grew louder as he jumped back.

"Don't you get it?"

"Well... I think that's all of them." Connie smiled at Greg, who smiled back at her.

"No. You have miscalculated." 107 said blankly, and she arched a brow at him.

What do you-"

107 pointed up into the air, and Connie's eyes widened.

There one of the ships floated, pointing down at them with one finger.

"They've brought the cavalry."

"No matter how hard you filthy crystal Gems try..."

Clusters and soldiers sauntered towards Howlite, Emerald, Peridot, and Lapis, surrounding them.

"You'll never stand a chance against us!" Blue Diamond's eyes widened with fear, watching as a gigantic golden ship appeared in the sky behind Bloodstone, having appeared through some sort of warp.

On the tip of its finger stood two gems, two twins, two children. Sunstone and Moonstone stood grinning.

"The day of reckoning has come, filthy Earth lovers!" Sunstone yelled down with a grin.

Matrix pulled himself from the crater he was buried in, looking up with wide eyes as he heard an all too familiar voice.

His eyes widened, pupils shrinking with rage as he saw Moonstone standing up on that ship, gnawing on his fingers and grinning.

As if feeling his stare, Moonstone turned his head, looking directly at Matrix.

Their eyes locked, and as Matrix shook with rage, Moonstone gave a simple wave, grinning as he felt the rage and hatred Matrix radiated.

 _He did it..._

Matrix's fingers dug into the ground.

"Now feel fear, feel true hopelessness!" Bloodstone laughed wickedly, soldiers pouring out from the ship.

Moonstone and Sunstone jumped down into the mix as well, their laughter being heard throughout the roars of the soldiers.

Meanwhile, Bloodstone floated back to the ship, which opened its palm for him.

"I'll see you all in hell!" Bloodstone laughed, grinning over his shoulder at them as an orb of gold, the color of the ship, went over him, disappearing and revealing nothing but air.

* * *

"He's trying to escape!" Lapis said in shock.

"Damn it! He can't get away now! If he comes back healed, even if we manage to survive this, there's no way we'll be able to beat him!" Emerald said, hope fading quickly.

A pink portal suddenly opened in the middle of the circle the four had kept, Steven jumping out of it on Lion while Amazonite and Amethyst followed.

"Are we late?" Amethyst grinned.

"Only a little!" Howlite said, before grabbing Steven. "Kid, heal, now!"

"We've only got one shot at this..." Peridot looked to Lapis.

"Lapis, get Howlite to that ship."

Lapis's eyes widened slightly. "What?"

"Did I stutter?" Peridot said. "Get him to that damn ship!"

"What, you think I can take him alone?" Howlite arched a brow at her, wincing as he felt Steven press his saliva coated hand to his wounds.

"No." Peridot answered.

"What are you planning, Peridot..?" Lapis asked, somewhat skeptical.

Peridot smirked. "If Bloodstone thinks he can get away that easy, he's wrong." She looked to Amazonite.

"How far can you throw me?" She asked.

Amazonite grinned. "You've got a bit more crazy in you than I thought Peridot." She lifted Peridot up.

"And the answer is far enough."

* * *

"No no no son of a bitch no!" Matrix stood, watching as the ship slowly floated away.

"AaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Matrix looked to the side, eyes widening as he caught Peridot, skidding back across the ground.

They skidded for a solid ten feet, Matrix wincing as Peridot shook her head, eyes wide.

"Well... That was a rush..." She said, before looking up to Matrix.

"Matrix, how high can you jump?" She smirked, and Matrix smirked in return.

"High enough."

* * *

Lapis held Howlite tight, flying quickly up after the ship, dodging around soldiers.

"Where are they?" Lapis looked back at the ground.

"Relax, they'll get here." Howlite smirked. "If there's one thing I know about Matrix, it's that he'd never pass up a chance like this, even of he had to fly up here himself."

"I hope for everyone's sake you're right, Howlite..." Lapis looked back up at the ship.

Blue Diamond flew up into the air, smashing soldiers away from them.

As Howlite and Lapis passed her, She watched Matrix shoot into the air, holding onto Peridot's legs as she used both helicopter hands, moving quickly through the sky after the ship.

It wasn't fast enough.

"Come on Peridot! We've gotta get up there!" Matrix said, looking up at Peridot.

"You try doing this! It's difficult!" She yelled down at him. "And for a being made of light, you're surprisingly heavy!"

"Then perhaps I can be of assistance?" Blue Diamond flew next to them, blasting soldiers away.

"What are you going to-" Peridot was cut off.

Blue Diamond grabbed Peridot's arm. "Hang on tight." She smiled.

In the next instant, the two were being whipped through he air, rocketing towards the ship.

"Good luck!" She called after them, before looking back to the soldiers surrounding her.

"Our fate is in your hands now..."

* * *

Lapis and Howlite looked to their sides to see Peridot and Matrix be thrown up to them, smirking.

"Thought you wouldn't make it." Howlite grinned.

"Please, like I'd leave this in your hands." Matrix grinned in response.

As they got closer and closer to the ship, a soldier spun around to look at them as they shot by.

"You won't make it to the great Bloodstone, you traitors!" He yelled, though they didn't hear as he took aim on the back of the one he considered to be carrying the more dangerous gem.

"Almost there!" Peridot said.

As Peridot and Matrix landed on the thumb of the ship, which formed a type of ledge as it was pulled up against the rest of the hand, they glanced back at Lapis and Howlite.

"Get ready Bloodstone! We're coming for yo- Gah!" Lapis arched her back as he gem was blasted with a bolt of gold, her eyes widening in agony as her wings faded.

"Lapis?!" Howlite looked up at Lapis, eyes wide as they began to plummet!

"LAPIS!" He could be heard yelling as they fell.

"Lapis! Howlite!" Peridot and Matrix yelled in unison as the two fell towards the ground.

"No!" Peridot reached out to them, knowing full well it was futile.

Matrix's eyes widened, before closing as he looked away from the scene.

"Damn..." He spat, hands clenching into fists.

"No... No..!" Peridot slammed her fist onto the ship, her teeth gritting.

"This is it then..." Matrix said more to himself than anyone else, placing one hand on the ships wall.

"No! No it's not!" Peridot said, standing as the wind blew at her triangular hair, Matrix's hood having been blown down by it.

"If we fuse into Tanzanite, if you trust me enough to _really_ fuse with me, then we can fight Bloodstone!" Her eyes filled with a pleading hope as she looked at Matrix.

"Peridot..."

"I know you don't trust me after how our first fusion went, but we've grown since then! I've grown since then!"

"Peridot."

"Please, for everyone else if not me, can't you just trust me?!"

"Peridot!"

Peridot stopped her panicked speech, finally realizing Matrix was trying to speak.

"I'm not going to do that." Matrix said, and her eyes widened.

"Do you really hate fusing with me enough to-" Matrix cut her off.

"It's not because I hate fusing with you. Actually I've come to enjoy it." Peridot's eyes widened in surprise.

"Then why?" Peridot asked, confused. "Why won't you?"

Matrix smiled. "What kind of body guard would I be if I just let you into battle with me with one of if not thee most dangerous Gem there is?"

Peridot's eyes widened once again, shocked. A light red appeared on her cheeks. "..." She remained silent for what felt like an eternity.

"Now go on, get out of here." Matrix looked to the wall of the ship, pulling his spear from his eye to break through it. "I'll be fine."

"Matrix..." Peridot's hand clenched into fists.

Matrix looked back at her, arching a brow. "Yeah?"

Peridot looked as if she was mustering all of her courage.

She took a deep breath.

"Matrix, you're fired!"

She yelled, and Matrix flinched slightly.

"Uh... What?"

"You aren't my body guard anymore." Peridot said. "So you don't have to die protecting me, alright?" She stated firmly.

Matrix shook his head, and the hope in her eyes disappeared.

"Well Peri, what can I say?" Matrix smirked lightly.

In the next instant, Matrix had wrapped one arm around Peridot's waist, pulling her close to him and pressing his lips to hers.

Peridot's eyes did not widen. They only closed.

Her hands clenched onto Matrix's shirt, and neither of them pulled away.

After what could have been forever, Matrix broke away, Peridot's eyes wide as her face glowed red.

"Old habits die hard." Matrix smiled one of the kindest smiles she'd ever seen from him.

In the next instant, Peridot felt herself being pushed, shoved off the edge.

Peridot's eyes widened as she fell, staring up at Matrix with a baffled expression, unable to form words.

"Goodbye." Matrix's smile grew sad, waving at her as she fell.

She reached up towards him desperately, but it was no use. She couldn't catch herself from this fall and catch up with the ship.

She couldn't stop him.

"MATRIX!"

Peridot could hear nothing as she fell. She couldn't hear the roar of the winds or feel the fear of crashing.

She could only watch as Matrix's smiling face disappeared as the distance between them grew.

As she plummeted, she felt something catch her, jumping by.

"Where's Matrix?" Garnet asked nervously. Her voice was muffled to Peridot at first, but after repeating the question once or twice, she snapped back to reality.

Peridot just shook her head, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

Garnet looked up at the ship as she fell to Earth, ready to land.

 _Just as the Vision said..._

* * *

Matrix took a calming breath, looking away from the ledge to the ship wall. He took a deep breath to calm himself before pulling his spear from his eye.

He pulled it back, his expression hardening.

 _Everyone... I'm sorry. But I can't let this bastard get away. He's taken too many away from us..._

He stabbed into the side of the ship, beginning to tear through the wall.

 _I might die here- no, I will die here._

Matrix smashed through the wall.

 ** _BUT I'LL BE DAMNED IF I DRAG ANYONE BUT HIM DOWN WITH ME!_**

* * *

 **Oh my god guys.  
**

 **Guys.**

 **Guys it's happening.**

 **B**

 **O**

 **O**

 **Y**

 **A**

 **H**

 **M**

 **O**

 **T**

 **H**

 **A**

 **F**

 **#**

 **C**

 **K**

 **A**

 **You know how long I've been thinking of this fight? Somewhere around chapter 25. That was 18 chapters ago.**

 **Let that one sink in.**

 **This scene, what Matrix just did, that kiss so many have been waiting for but I doubt expected in that context, has been swirling around in my head for months.**

 **And here we are.**

 **So get ready for**

 **Intense battles!**

 **Bad ass moments with not so and very bad ass characters!  
**

 **Rethinking the way you see some characters!**

 **And best of all:**

 **FEEEEEEELLLLSSSSSSS.**

 **I'm sorry. I'm obnoxiously hyped right now. If this were still Summer, you'd be getting a chapter a day at this point.**

 **So be prepared for Phase 2, ladies and gentlemen.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	46. Chapter 45: Episode of Matrix

**Fun Facts: You should read the first few paragraphs of the first chapter before reading the first few of this chapter.**

 **I know that's not really a fun fact. Hush.**

 **Matrix's Theme is Start Again by Red.**

 **I don't have time to write the thanks this chapter. Please understand, and thanks go to everyone who reviewed.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

 _I just wanted to live freely...  
_

Footsteps rang through the empty, golden hallways. Glowing lights illuminated the path.

 _I just wanted to get away from it all...  
_

The footsteps seemed to be coming from a man. Blood stained his face, running down from his forehead to his chin.

His cloak's hood was down, his black hair covering his eyes as a frown was paved on his face. His shirt was torn, revealing bruises and cuts. The bands of orange around each bicep and each foot seemed to glow slightly, and his hands were clenched into fists.

 _But instead I'm here..._

He stopped before a large golden door. As he reached out to it, extending one finger to push the button on it, his hand stopped.

His finger retracted, and he looked down.

 _If I could go back..._

Matrix looked at his hand.

 _If I could take it all back... Start over again...  
_

 **Chapter 45: Phase 2 (Part 1)  
**

 **Episode of Matrix**

 _ **"But freedom isn't for all of us. And some of us can't change... Well, at least that's what they told me."**_

* * *

That burning, bright light.

That's the first thing he remembered.

He felt as though he was pulling himself from something almost involuntarily. He could only hear roaring and could only see that burning white light.

Like a bird comes from an egg, he broke from the stone.

Matrix fell to his hands and knees onto the mud, panting for breath. He looked at his arms, watching as the glowing white light that they were slowly began to take form, changing color and forming something solid.

After a few moments, the screeching faded to nothing, and he panted as he looked around himself.

He couldn't see too far yet, only a few foot radius. All he could see was that mud below him, and his own body. Oh, and that rock hole behind him.

As his vision got better, he reached up, touching his left eye lightly. It didn't feel like the rest of him. Smooth, hard.

It felt almost... Warm. As if it lived.

"What... What am I..? Who... Am I?" He asked as he found himself standing, looking at his hands.

The information flooded through his brain as if he'd known it all along.

Arsenal Series.

Tiger's Eye Matrix.

Warrior Class, Spear Wielder.

50% of Cat's Eye, required to fuse with Sister Gem, Tigers Eye, in order to be complete.

Capable of using other Gems Weapons if certain requirements are met.

Never alone.

They were separate so that they could never be alone.

Matrix looked to his right, and could see, finally, his second half.

Tiger stared back at him, and they both looked over joyed.

They said nothing, rushing to one another and taking hold of one another.

In a flash of light, Cat's Eye stood, looking over herself, as if just happy to exist.

"Well, you two catch on rather quickly."

Cat's Eye turned her head to look at the green gem watching them. Jade.

"Perhaps a little too fast..."She muttered.

"Hm?" Cat's Eye arched a brow at them.

"Defuse, immediately." Jade ordered, and after looking slightly disturbed at the thought of being separate, she complied, flashing away to the Tiger Twins.

"Look." She said. "You are only to fuse for battle or other conditions that require it." Jade said, her facial expression blank as her eyes looked upon them coldly.

"W-what..?" Tiger's expression was disbelieving.

"Don't worry, you'll be going into battle quite often. But until then, you must learn how to fight apart. How to be two different people before being the same." Jade turned around, walking towards another group of gems.

"Where do we-" Matrix was cut off by the sudden rush of knowledge in his mind.

"You know where." Jade said simply as she walked off.

Matrix and Tiger glanced at one another, shrugging before walking towards where they knew they must go.

 _I don't know how long those emotionless bastards lectured us and the other two-sides... But I remember seeing that bored look on Fluorite and Feldspar's face as well as Tiger's and my own._

 _Being separate sucked._

 _Soon enough though, we got our first battle._

 _Our only battle._

* * *

Fire rained, Cat's Eye standing tall as she shot gems down with pelts of arrows, three other Cat's Eye's around her.

Four Matrix's were made in total, and four Tiger's were made in total.

They could see from their vantage point the single gem holding back their forces.

It stood tall, two arms holdings large katanas while Shredder claws came from the hands as well.

"Those two have become quite the problem..." The black cloaked gem from behind them said, a grin appearing on his face.

Cat's Eyes, attack." He ordered.

They jumped forward without complaint, rushing across the battlefield.

One of them jumped from the side, pulling back her hatchets.

They were blocked with ease by one Katana, and grey, lifeless eyes turned on her before the enemy fusion spun, slashing the Cat's Eye in two, catching both gems in his claw, stabbing through them.

Cat's Eye winced at the sound of screaming from the next Cat's Eye, her left eye being smashed as the Tiger fell out of the fusion, scrambling to pick up the shards of her brother, eyes wide in horror.

"Stay away from this city..." The fusion demanded, placing one foot on the Tiger's back and smashing her into the ground.

The third Cat's Eye shot arrows at the fusion, who dodged quickly around them, as if he'd heard them coming.

He jammed one katana down through the Tiger's eye, jumping at the third Cat's Eye and smashing his knee into her chest, pulling back both blades and slashing through her eyes.

Cat's Eye looked in horror at the powerful fusion as he turned his head to look at her.

"W-what... What are you..?" She asked as she backed away slowly.

* * *

"Bloodstone, you've just wasted our first arsenal experiments." The Yellow figure crossed her arms, and Bloodstone grinned.

"No, I've shown their flaws. They're much too dependent on one another, not to mention weak. If we could create fusion without the emotional connection required..." Bloodstone shook his head.

"Oh the work to be done, Yellow."

* * *

"Who am I..?" The fusion stared down at them with cold and empty eyes. "My name is Hibonite..."

The fusion was a brownish black, wearing a light grey cloak with two sets of eyes. His top pair of eyes were grey and lifeless, as if they couldn't see at all, and his bottom pair were white and full of life, seeming younger and happier than the other.

The top pair looked as though it'd just experienced something... Depressing.

Cat's Eye jumped at Hibonite, but was caught by the stomach with two claws, eyes widening as she spat blood.

Hibonite dropped Cat's Eye, watching as she defused into Matrix and Tiger, who lay weak on the ground.

Hibonite rose his blades above their eyes, when Matrix's snapped open.

In an instant, he had plugged one spear through Hibonite's top right eye, snarling.

"How do you like it?!" He questioned as Hibonite roared, stumbling back.

Bloodstone's eyes widened as he watched, and a light grin appeared on his face.

"What's this?" Yellow Diamond said, slight surprise showing in her voice.

Tiger slashed up Hibonite's face, making him stumble back.

Hibonite growled, and his cloak fell, exploding into the earth.

Tiger and Matrix jumped back from the plum of dust, and Tiger looked over at Matrix as in a flash of grey, Hibonite shot from the dust, slamming the handle of one katana into Matrix's face, throwing him back through the air.

Matrix flew across the battlefield, flying into the distance from the force of the hit.

"Hm." Bloodstone frowned. "Well, it was an impressive try, I suppose."

The reaper's scythe appeared, and Yellow arched a brow at him.

"You're stepping in? You don't usually dirty your hands like this." She said, and Bloodstone smirked.

"My reaper's are my mess, I can handle them." He said.

* * *

Matrix's vision faded in and out.

He felt weak, his body feeling as though it was made of lead as he forced himself to reach forward, trying to crawl back towards the fight.

A shock wave of horrible, throbbing pain shot through his gem, and he winced, reaching up to touch his gem.

In it was a medium sized crack, running directly down it.

His eyes widened in fear. He wasn't important enough to be healed. They'd find him, and kill him for being weak.

He looked around his surroundings. it seemed that he'd been knocked into the very city that Hibonite was trying to protect.

He was in the courtyard of a large temple, which was coated with gem shards.

He could see the doors to the temple had been kicked in, and as his vision faded in and out, he could see a figure running out towards him, another figure reaching out to the first as if to stop it.

His eyes closed, and he felt himself slip into unconsciousness.

* * *

"He's hurt!"

 _What..? What is that?_

"Thea, wait! That's a Gem!"

"Who cares?! He's hurt!"

"He's dangerous!"

"He could be a good Gem!"

 _Eugh... They're so loud..._

"The only good gem is a dead Gem!"

 _What are they..? Oh... They must be humans... I'm going to be killed by humans... How pathetic._

"That's not true!"

"Name one good Gem!"

"I can name two!"

"Those two do not count as good! One was hell bent on killing Zatoichi!"

"Zeolite was perfectly nice though! Not to mention the fact that they're currently out stopping that army from trampling us!"

 _Why is she arguing on my behalf? Doesn't she know I intend to kill her? What sick game are they playing?_

"Shh! I think he's waking up!"

Matrix's right eye struggled open, and though his vision was blurry, he could make out the features of the woman over him.

She had blonde hair, and her blue eyes stared down at him with relief.

"Can you speak?" She asked.

"Why..?" Matrix choked out. "Why help me?"

She only smiled. "Good."

"You're alive."

* * *

"Why are you helping me?" Matrix asked as he was laid back on a bed. He'd passed out again, and woken up to this woman, he believed her name was Thea, patching up his wounds.

"Why do you keep asking that?"

"Why don't you ever answer it?"

"Why shouldn't I?" She asked, looking over his gem. Matrix was made slightly uncomfortable by her looking, but didn't make it obvious.

"Well my race is trying to exterminate yours, for one." Matrix said as she lifted his head, placing an eye patch over his eye.

"Your race is also trying to save mine." She smiled.

"Well I'm not part of their group." Matrix said, rolling his eyes.

"See! I told you!" Her father's voice called from the other room.

Thea looked over her shoulder, scowling at him. Matrix found it strange, the two looked nothing alike.

"Well maybe while I'm fixing you up, you'll change your mind." Thea smiled convincingly, but Matrix shook his head.

"You can't fix my gem. Only certain Gems with healing powers can fix gems, and none of those are gonna be around here, that's for sure." Matrix looked to the side and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I'm going to die..."

"Well, what if I find one of these healers?" Thea's words made Matrix look back up at her.

"Why would you do that for me..?" Matrix asked, slightly skeptical.

"Because we're friends." Thea smiled.

"Since when?!"

"Since now. Because I said so."

Matrix groaned, looking away.

"How did I get stuck with this nutcase?"

* * *

 _I'm not sure how long I was in that temple... How many times I fell and she picked me up... How many times I scowled and she smiled in return.  
_

Thea walked through the temple, looking around for someone. "Matrix?" She called out.

She walked out into the Courtyard, finding Matrix pulling himself up on his spear, which he'd stuck into the wall to do pull-ups on.

"What are you doing?!" She asked, running up to him. "You'll hurt yourself!"

"I'll be fine!" Matrix snapped at her, wincing. sweat ran cold down him, as he felt his left eye throb with agony.

"Get down from there!" Thea called up. He was closer to the roof than the ground, one of his arms falling limp as he used the other.

"I'll... I'll be fine..!" Upon saying this, his only remaining arm gave out, and his eyes widened as he fell.

"Matrix!" Thea's eyes widened in shock, and she quickly got under him, catching him as he fell.

"What were you thinking?!" She asked, and Matrix glared at her.

"Shut up, alright?" Matrix pushed himself from her grasp, stumbling and coughing as he leaned against a wall to steady himself.

"I was thinking that I'm weak, and that I need to be strong!" Matrix said, coughing into his hand.

"What you need to do is heal!" Thea said, trying to help him up once again, only to be shoved away.

"I can't heal! This is as healed as I'm gonna get with this cracked Gem! So I'm either gonna die, or I'm going to train enough to be stronger than this damn disability!"

"Why are you so stubborn?!"

"You're one to talk!"

"You're going to get yourself killed if you keep this up!"

"I'm going to kill you if you keep this up!"

"Why won't you just let me help you?!"

"I don't need the help of some damn human!" Matrix said, gritting his teeth partly from pain and partly from anger.

"You need somebodies help!" Thea responded, and Matrix looked as though he was going to respond, before coughing again, falling to his knees.

"D-... Damn it..!" Matrix slammed his fist onto the ground, Thea flinching.

"Why?! Why am I so weak?!" He slammed his fist onto the ground again, and Thea just watched.

"Am I not able to exist without her?!" He wondered aloud. His thoughts drifted to Tiger, wondering what she could be doing now.

"Am I truly nothing without her?! If so, why did they bother keeping us like this?!" Matrix slammed his fist onto the ground once again, watching as it cracked under his fist.

"Am I just part of some sick joke?!" Matrix coughed blood, panting.

Thea watched, surprised and saddened by this display.

"Is this truly all I am..?" He looked into the distorted reflection his puddle of blood gave.

"Just some waste of space?"

"... Oh Matrix..." Thea said sadly, holding one hand at her mouth is surprise.

Matrix reached up, touching his gem through the eye patch. He winced slightly from the pain, but he kept staring at himself in that distorted red reflection.

* * *

It was in the dead of the night.

The ground started shaking in the dead of night.

The screams rang at the Witching Hour.

Human soldiers were torn apart, sword breaking against white fur.

Matrix stood on the roof, spear in hand as he stared at it.

It resembled a wolf, black cracks running through its pure white fur as it tore men apart, stomping houses and taking arrows very easily.

"So they've finally released him upon us..." Matrix's grip on his spear tightened.

It was far in the distance, but the screams could still be heard, the smoke still smelt, and it could still be seen.

It was then that they saw one another.

Matrix standing on that roof top.

It standing there as the fires rose around its cold, cold skin.

Matrix's eyes narrowed, and it's continued to glow that menacing shade of blue.

Matrix hadn't ever found that color particularly bothersome until now.

They stood there, still. The distance between them would have been equivalent to a few blocks in Earth today.

The moon hung in the air behind it.

There was a heaviness in the air, before Matrix turned around, looking over his shoulder at it one more time with a look that said 'another day'.

It returned the look.

He slid down from the roof, landing to find Thea and her father running frantically through the house.

"Matrix, where have you been?!" Thea questioned. "Come on, we've gotta get out of here!"

They'd been gathering bags of their belongs, as well as food and such.

"How will we possibly get past that thing?!" Her father stressed. "It's blocking the only way out of here!"

As Matrix was about to respond, he turned to him. "You!"

He stepped closer, pointing quickly at him. "You did this! Everything was fine until you damn Gems came here!"

"Father!" Thea grabbed onto her father in attempts to pull him away from Matrix and, in anger, he turned, smacking her.

She fell to the floor, eyes wide.

"You be quiet!" He said, panicking as he looked back to Matrix.

"And you! You think you can just walk in here and-" He was cut off, suddenly being grabbed by the throat, being lifted from the ground.

"I don't know who you think you are, you filthy bag of flesh." Matrix glared at him, and his eyes widened in fear.

"But I'd like to remind you that I am not another human. And I am _not_ friendly. If you think, for a single second of your worthless life, that you can ever speak to me like that..." He grabbed onto Matrix's hand, tugging at his fingers desperately in attempts to regain the flow of oxygen.

Matrix leaned in close to him, glaring into his eyes. "Then you're even dumber than I allowed myself to believe."

Matrix suddenly dropped him, and he turned around to the door. "Now, as I was saying."

The two stared at him in shock.

"Just follow me."

* * *

The fire. The screams. Oh the blood.

The World Eater tore through the city, tearing down houses and tearing apart people.

They all flooded around his feet, trying to escape his wrath. It was futile, their attempts.

The soldiers were gone. Being digested.

The hunger was slowly fading, and he could feel the need to destroy withering.

That was, until he saw him again.

Matrix jumped from roof top to roof top, catching his attention quickly.

He wasn't sure why he wanted this matrix dead as much as he did. It was just some defective, probably crystal, gem.

But he _loathed_ him.

The World Eater quickly turned his full attention to the Tigers Eye Gem.

"Come on, savage! Follow me!"

He was enraged by this challenge, howling at Matrix, who jumped from the building just before it was obliterated in the sonic boom.

He shot at lightning speed at Matrix, who turned to him mid jump, sticking out his spear towards him.

The World Eater smashed into him, spear head ramming into his snout as Matrix took hold, jolts of pain running through him from the force of the hit.

He gripped onto the fur as The World Eater flailed wildly, pulling out another spear and stabbing his nose quickly.

It threw it's head particularly hard, throwing Matrix from him and through the air, where it took aim, howling once more.

Matrix threw up his arms in defense, the blast engulfing him as he roared with pain.

He was thrown back through the air, slamming through building after building until hitting cliff face.

He watched from his pile of rubble as the monster sauntered towards him.

It shrunk slowly, taking a more human form.

The Man Eater stood, grinning as it approached.

Matrix pulled himself from the rubble, stumbling and falling to his knees.

It laughed gruffly, Matrix's grip tightening on his spear.

His eye patch fell from his eye, and the Man Eater grabbed him, pulling him up.

He laughed.

"Your Gem is cracked? A cracked Gem, no, a cracked _matrix_ thought it could stand against me?" It laughed harder, and Matrix's grip tightened once more on his spear.

"You don't even have your other half! An incomplete Cat's Eye actually thought-"

Blood flew through the air.

The Man Eater's eyes widened as Matrix's spear stuck through it's left eye, blood spilling down its face.

The cracks swarmed around its eye, as if trying desperately to fix it.

It was futile, and as Matrix yanked his spear back, they ceased moving, staying around his eye.

The Man Eater stumbled back, holding its eye.

"W-what..?" It didn't even pay attention as Matrix ran by, falling to its knees.

* * *

Thea glanced back anxiously at the burning city, having seen that beast shrink down after watching Matrix's short encounter with it.

"You... You think he made it, right?" She glanced at her father, who simply laughed in return.

"I hope not." Thea looked down upon hearing his words.

"Well that makes me happy."

Her father gulped, and they both spun around quickly to see Matrix standing there, blood running down from the eye socket around his Gem. Along with multiple other wounds.

Thea ran forward, grabbing him and hugging him tight.

"Gah!" Matrix exclaimed in shock as she buried her face in his chest. "It's latched onto me! It's going to crush me to death!" Matrix exclaimed in fear.

"No, you idiot!" Thea laughed, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "I was worried about you!"

"What is... Worried?" Matrix arched a brow at her, and she shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

"You're clueless..!"

Matrix looked at her father for explanation, but only caught a glare.

Matrix had to think for a moment, when he realized something.

Matrix realized what this must look like to her father, and grinned at him.

He mouthed the word 'mine.'

Her father looked sick with rage. That only made Matrix's grin widen.

Of course, he was only doing this to get on his nerves.

For no other reason.

For sure.

"But seriously, get off me." Matrix squirmed slightly, but Thea shook her head.

"I knew it! I knew you cared!"

Matrix's face grew red. "What?! What would make you think that?!"

"You just risked your life to save us!"

"W-what?! No, I was just doing it for my own bene-"

"If that were the case, you would've made us be the distraction. But instead you did it." She smiled up at him.

"W-well..."

"See? I told you he was good." Thea grinned back at her father.

"Are we just going to ignore him almost straggling me to death earlier?!"

Matrix shrugged. "You started it."

* * *

"Matrix, stop trying to sit up!" Thea ordered, and Matrix groaned.

"I wouldn't have to keep trying if you stopped pushing me back down!" Matrix bit back.

"Matrix why do you not understand the concept of being injured?!"

"I'm not injured! I'm just tired!"

"You're a dunce is what you are!"

The two glared at one another, before slowly smiles cracked at their faces. They began laughing, as if unable to stay mad at one another.

Her father glared at them from the mouth of the cave they had set up in, walking out from it and down towards the fields below it.

"The bastards race burns our city to the ground and she still acts so kind to him..." He grumbled as he walked, he could see the encampment in the distance that they were going towards.

Soon enough, they'd be surrounded by these damn Gems. Soon enough, Matrix would be healed, and he'd drop them like the scum he was.

"Hey there old man."

His eyes widened, and he looked behind him slowly to see what had addressed him, chest pounding with fear.

White, black-cracked skin and hair. Metal maw. Piercing, ice blue eyes.

A demon.

Matrix and Thea jolted upright at the sound of a scream.

"That sounded like..." Thea looked at Matrix, fear in her eyes.

"I uh... I'm sure he's fine..?" Matrix shrugged, and Thea, for some reason, was not reassured.

They ran out from the cave as fast they could, and their eyes widened in shock.

Howlite grinned, leaning up from the mutilated body that barely resembled Thea's father.

Thea gasped in horror, and Matrix stood in front of her.

"Well look who it is." Howlite's teeth grit, blood dripping from his metal maw.

"Do I know you?" Upon hearing this question, Howlite's eyes narrowed, and he snarled, shooting off the ground at Matrix, pulling back one fist.

Matrix threw up his arms in an X to block, and Howlite's fist slammed into them, a shock wave of pain running through them as Matrix was thrown back through the air.

As Matrix was thrown back through the air, Howlite jumped under him, spinning and slamming his foot into his back, throwing him into the air.

"You think you can just make a fool of me and get away with it?!" Howlite jumped up after him, spinning and preparing to bring down one leg on his eye like an axe.

But as he swung down, he only struck air, and he growled, watching an orange figure land, setting Matrix down.

"Huh, how pathetic of a military dog." The orange figure stood to it's full height, glaring over his shoulder at Howlite, who's eyes narrowed.

"Citrine..."

The orange figure had orange hair, which fell messily over his face, covering one of his eyes.

He wore an orangish brown shirt, no sleeves covering his orange skin. He wore baggy, orange pants.

A snarl appeared on Howlite's face, and he quickly shot off the ground at Citrine, who's cold orange eyes stared at him as he did so.

In a flash of white, orange knight's armor covered Citrine's skin, and Howlite's metal maw broke against it, Howlite's eyes widening as he jumped back.

"Human." Citrine's eyes glanced to Thea. "I am sorry for the lose of the older human, but you must get this injured Gem to the encampment quickly." Citrine looked back to Howlite.

"But what about you?" She asked, and Citrine smirked under his helmet.

"I'm going to be putting this dog down." His hands clenched into fists.

Thea nodded, picking up Matrix.

As she left, Howlite snarled, falling to all fours.

"Stay out of my way, Citrine. Just let me destroy that damn cat." Fur spread in tufts on Howlite's skin.

"He's much too important, World Eater." Citrine's hands clenched into fists.

"He's just some damn matrix!"

"Yes, and you're just some damn dog. What's your point?"

Howlite shot off the ground at lightning speed, slamming both feet into Citrine's armored chest, making him slide back.

Citrine grabbed Howlite by the legs, spinning and throwing him off of the ledge they fought on, shooting off the ground after him.

He spun, slamming both feet into Howlite's chest and sending him flying at shocking speeds into the earth, the fields below him exploding into the air.

Citrine landed before the crater Howlite was pulling himself from, staring blankly through the armor down at him.

Howlite shot off the ground at him, throwing a punch at his face, only for it to catch only air, Citrine side stepping it before slamming one armored fist into Howlite's abdomen, making him hunch over in pain.

Citrine pulled his fist back, bringing his elbow above Howlite's head and slamming it down on the back of his neck, cratering him once again.

"You must have just transformed." Citrine aimed one palm into the crater. "You're still weak."

Citrine suddenly jumped back, a stave sticking directly into the earth where he was a moment ago.

"?!" Citrine suddenly back flipped, a glaive stabbing through the air where he once was.

He landed behind Jade, throwing his fist into her lower back, throwing her into the air.

Lignite landed before him, swinging his stave at him, making him back flip out of it's range.

Howlite came from above, slamming one foot into his face and throwing him back into the earth.

Citrine skidded across the ground, and he growled as he looked up at the three standing before him.

"Well it seems we've captured the Great Citrine." Howlite grinned, and Citrine's eyes narrowed.

 _I hope you're right about all of this, Blue Diamond..._

* * *

Thea was quickly being escorted through the camp, Matrix now being carried on a stretcher.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" One Gem glanced at the other. "I mean, he's got the Yellow Diamond insignia on him..."

"That doesn't matter! If he's got a human with him, and she cares for him, he's clearly not one of them."

Matrix was brought before a large tent, and the soldier's quickly knocked on the door.

The tent was opened, and a white gem, gem centered in her forehead peaked out at them.

She glanced to the Gem on the stretcher, and nodded quickly, opening the door.

"Rose, we've got an injured!"

From deeper in the large tent, Thea watched in awe as a Gem came forth.

Long, curly pink hair ran down from her head, falling over her back and shoulders. Her white dress fell over bare feet, and a star cut out on her dress revealed the pink gem where her belly button should be.

She was at least seven feet tall, standing over Thea like a goddess over a mere mortal.

"W-whoa..." Thea noticed the others were bowing, but before she could, she noticed the sad expression on the woman's face.

"What happened to him?" Thea was surprised to hear this kind voice address her.

"O-oh, well about a month or two ago, I found him like this, cracked Gem, I mean. As for the rest of the injuries, Our city was attacked by a giant wolf, and he distracted it while my father and I escaped..." Tears built in Thea's eyes as her fathers memories appeared.

She chocked them down. This wasn't the time.

She noticed tears seemed to be building in the giantesses eyes.

"Uh..." Thea was slightly worried by her crying. "H-he's gonna be alright, right? You can heal him, right?" Panic crept into her voice.

A tear fell from the large Gem's eye, landing directly on Matrix's gem.

In an instant, an orange flash exploded from his gem, it's cracks sealing quickly.

"Whoa..." Thea said in awe, and noticed the large smile appearing on the giant gems face. It seemed to be contagious, as a similiar one appeared on hers.

Matrix's eyes opened slowly, and he glanced around them. "W-what..?" His confusion faded as he saw the other gem, and he jumped up quickly, grabbing Thea and keeping her behind him.

"Matrix! What are you-" Thea was cut off.

"Quiet!" Matrix ordered, standing between Thea and all of the other Gem's in the room.

He pulled his spear from his eye, aiming it at all of them. "Stay back, all of you!"

Any tension in the room was broken as a giggling was heard.

"That's so cute!" Rose Quartz suddenly said, making everyone glance at her in shock.

"You really care about her, don't you?" She said, and Matrix's face grew red.

"W-what?! I don't know what you're talking about!" Matrix said, eyes shifting between all of them in the room.

Rose smiled, reaching forward and pushing Matrix's spear down away from everyone. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you. You don't have to join us, you don't have to be anywhere near us."

"You just go and do what you want to do."

 _Alright look, I can only sit here and explain for so long, so I'm going to cut ahead a bit._

 _I joined her army after awhile... I knew I was built for it. Over the course of a few years, I rose through the ranks, and when, nearing the final battle, a general died, I had to take his place.  
_

 _As for Thea... Well, ahem... Uh...  
_

"So you're really going to join in this thing?" Thea asked, sitting on a bed with her legs pulled up to her chest.

"I have to. I have to repay Rose Quartz for what she's done for me..." What a perfect excuse.

"Matrix I..." Thea trailed off, blushing lightly as she looked away.

"What?" Matrix arched a brow at her.

"I... I don't want you to get hurt!" She blurted out, and Matrix's eyes widened.

"I've lost everyone... My city's burnt to the ground, my family is dead and gone..." Thea stood, walking to Matrix.

"But as long as you're around, I... I can't be sad." She smiled, Matrix's eyes widening slightly.

"Because you make me happy, Matrix." She leaned closer to him.

"Because I care about you."

 _I'm not explaining anymore... Seriously, stop looking at me like that. It's not happening. Stop it!_ _  
_

* * *

"Matrix, what do you think you're doing?"

Matrix's eyes narrowed, Tiger standing before him.

The Kindergarten battle raged around them, but those two stood still. At the middle point between them, two holes that resembled them.

"Matrix, answer me!"

"I'm doing what's right!" Matrix exclaimed, making Tiger jump.

"They haven't told us anything, Tiger! They've just told us to be pawns! They haven't told us what we're fighting for! Well now I know what I'm fighting for! I've got a real life here!"

Tiger looked down. "Well then..."

She looked up, extending one hand to Matrix. "I can't let you do this alone, can I?" She smiled, and Matrix smiled as well.

"Thank you, sister." He took her hand, and they both began to glow.

"No, brother, thank you."

"All according to plan..." Moonstone grinned as he watched the two fuse together.

"With Tiger's mind there to push on his, taking control of him should be all the easier." His grin spread from ear to ear.

 _And well, you know the rest... I went berserk, Tiger eventually unfusing with me after tricking me in fear of being consumed by the rage as well..._

 _And then my world fell apart..._

 _And then they killed her..._

Matrix's hand shook as he thought.

 _If I could go back..._

Thoughts of Steven, Peridot, and all of the others ran through his mind.

 _"I'd do anything to save you, kid..."_

 _"I am your body guard, after all..."_

 _"If you're gonna put me down, make sure I stay down!"_

 _"What can I say? Old habits die hard."_

 _If I could start again..._ A smile cracked across Matrix's face, and he slammed his fist into the button, opening the door.

 ** _I wouldn't change any of it!_**

* * *

 **And there it is. I know the end got a little mixed up, but I was kind of running out of space and time and I really wanted to update today so...  
**

 **I'm sorry for any spelling errors, but I rushed through the proof reading to get this out. I think I caught most of them, but I'm not sure.**

 **I know, I'm terrible. Maybe I'll fix that all up later in another chapter where I'll do a flash back of this flash back or something, but Matrix's entire story was just long enough to be more than one chapter but not long enough to be two.**

 **Not to mention, I REALLY want to get to this fight.**

 **So please, prepare yourselves.**

 **Phase 2 has begun.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	47. Chapter 46: Phase 2 (Part 2)

**Note: I will probably be updating sometime soon after this, probably during the week, as long as I get enough reviews. As I have already started the next chapter, I will probably finish it soon. I would like to update faster than I currently am, as I cannot wait to type everything that will be happening. Trust me, we're barely past the tip of the iceberg.  
**

 **That being said, there was kind of a lack in reviews last week. I don't really have much of a problem with it for that chapter specifically, as it was just an Episode of for a character that's backstory was already known. But I felt it necessary for things that are soon to come...**

 **Thanks go to Kagehime-sama53, Guest, httpkirby, and Jak Fortune.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"That Tiger's Eye bastard really thinks he can face me up here?" Bloodstone laughed that cracked laugh of his, staring at the security cameras.

"Let him come, then..." He walked back towards the main room, the one where Yellow Diamond would sit if she had come here. But she wouldn't dare be in a room with him, not like this.

As he walked, he walked past a blank monitor, and saw a reflection in it.

It wasn't his own.

He stepped back to the monitor, glaring at it.

Zeolite.

Zeolite stared at him with the single most condescending look Bloodstone had ever received, not even the Diamond's dared look at him like that.

"You..." He grit his teeth. Zeolite said nothing.

"What?! Come back because they didn't want filth like you in hell?!" Bloodstone laughed, and Zeolite still said nothing, expression unchanging.

"Well fine! Haunt me! See if I care! Trash like you could never bother me! I'm sure you'll fail at haunting just like you do everything else!" Bloodstone laughed again, but it slowly died down, Zeolite's calm expression clearly unnerving him.

Silence filled the air.

"She's not here, you know." Zeolite broke the silence. Bloodstone's eyes narrowed.

"What do you-"

"I made it up here. Apparently my little stand against you was enough. Go figure." Zeolite shrugged.

Bloodstone grit his teeth.

"But she's not here." Zeolite stared coldly at Bloodstone. "So there's only one other place she could be."

"Don't lie to me, phantom!" Bloodstone snarled.

"You just had to drag her down with you, didn't you?" Zeolite's eyes narrowed.

Bloodstone's eyes widened.

"You couldn't just let her go! You had to suck her down your damned path!" Zeolite exclaimed, snarling as he leaned forward in the reflection.

"I'm okay with you dragging me or even Hematite down, but she didn't deserve that! And you know that better than any of us!" Zeolite reached through the mirror, grabbing Bloodstone by the collar.

"She's suffering for what you've done!"

Bloodstone's eyes were wide in horror, and he shook his head. "N-no! That's not-"

"It is!" Zeolite interrupted. "So tell me Bloodstone, are you still okay with your decision?! Are you still going to pretend that you don't feel bad for anything you've done?!"

Bloodstone roared, slamming his fist into the monitor and shattering it.

Zeolite disappeared.

Bloodstone panted, shoulders lowered as he stared at the glass.

He heard the door opening, and he snarled in between his pants, turning his head slowly to look at the door.

"You..."

"Me."

 **Chapter 46: Phase 2 (Part 2)**

 **Falling Sky (Part 1)**

 _""What? Do you honestly believe that people like you and me, monsters, get happy endings?"  
_

* * *

"Lapis!" Howlite exclaimed as they fell, though his words were lost in the racing winds.

"Damn it!" He took hold of her, spinning around so that his back was facing the ground, her back and, more importantly Gem, facing the sky.

Howlite shut his eyes tight, pulling her close.

"Space God damn it!"

The earth exploded below them, mud being thrown into the air as the crater expanded below them.

Howlite's grip remained, eyes shut in pain. Even as unconsciousness set in, his hands remained over Lapis's Gem.

* * *

Steven threw up one arm to block from the cloud of dust thrown into the air from their impact, and his eyes widened.

"Lapis! Howlite!" He began running towards them, when he suddenly held up his shield, a dagger slamming down on it and making him stumble back.

"Long time no see, little Quartz!" Moonstone grinned, crouching on four legs with his dagger in one hand.

Steven growled, holding up his shield.

"Get out of my way." He ordered, and Moonstone's grin widened.

"Make. Me."

* * *

"What do we do?!" Greg panicked, watching as the ship's finger lit up.

"You've still got those Laser Light Cannons, correct?" 107 glanced over at Greg, who nodded.

"Well then hope that they can counter that blast." 107 said, staring up at the ship.

"But how long can we keep that up?" Connie asked, glancing at 107.

"It is a very temporary solution, yes..." 107 stroked his imaginary beard.

He looked to his battery.

Seventy percent.

He groaned internally. He'd gathered back a large amount of energy, yes, but was it enough?

"I can handle it..." He said, though he didn't sound to sure. He sounded like he was volunteering for a very difficult task.

"Not alone you can't!" Connie said as 107 prepared to take off up to the ship.

"What are you talking about?" 107 arched a brow at her.

"I've been taking the backseat to Gems for awhile." She pulled her blade free from its sheath. "And I'm done letting it happen."

"... Well then." 107 lowered himself slightly. "Hop on." He said. "We've got a ship to sink."

Connie smirked, jumping onto his back.

They rocketed into the sky, the ship's beam of energy racing down towards them. Three beams of pink came from below them, mixing together into one, meeting the ship's blast and stopping it dead in it's tracks.

107 flew around the blasts, Connie holding up her blade and letting out a battle cry.

107 smirked lightly.

* * *

Garnet smashed a soldier's skull under her gauntlet, growling as she blocked a blade with her other gauntlet.

Peridot rushed forward, slamming her cannon barrel into a soldier's abdomen and firing as she threw him back, blasting through his chest.

Blue Diamond landed next to them, looking around.

"So," She kicked a soldier back across the battlefield. "Matrix is on the ship?"

Peridot nodded slightly, glancing down as her eyes narrowed slightly.

Blue Diamond's expression hardened.

"Then we still have a shot..."

Garnet and Peridot glanced at her in surprise.

"What?" Blue Diamond half smile half grinned at them.

"If anyone can do it, Matrix can."

* * *

"Honestly, what do you hope to achieve up here?" Bloodstone laughed, extending his arms to his sides.

"Do you honestly think you, an ant, could stand against me, a dinosaur?"

"If I was an ant, no." Matrix pulled his spear from his eye.

"But I'm a tiger, not an ant."

Bloodstone growled, before laughing once more. "Big talk!"

"You're one to talk." Matrix smirked. "Honestly, how many dinosaurs do you know that try to retreat like a coward via giant hand ship?"

Bloodstone snarled, his scythe appearing. "Watch your tongue before I rip it out!"

In an instant, Matrix was shooting off the ground at Bloodstone, pulling back his spear. "Big talk!"

He thrust forward with his spear, but it was caught in Bloodstone's scythe and pushed to the side.

He still moved forward, pulling back one fist and slamming it into Bloodstone's face, pushing his head to the side and sending him spiraling back across the room.

Matrix shot forward after him as he landed on his hands, back flipping. Matrix jumped, catching him with a knee to the gut mid jump.

Bloodstone hunched over his knee, coughing saliva into the air before snarling, spinning and placing his hand on the back of Matrix's head, slamming him face first into the ship floor.

Matrix bounced once as Bloodstone landed, Bloodstone pulling back his leg and kicking him in the side, sending him flying across the ship.

He landed on his feet, skidding and stopping just as his back hit the wall.

Bloodstone shot forward, slamming his knee into Matrix's face and smashing him through the wall into another room in the ship.

Matrix flew back, slamming into another wall and getting stuck for a moment.

He moved his head to the side, Bloodstone's fist slamming through the wall were it was a moment ago.

He slammed his head into Bloodstone's, jarring him and making him stumble back, giving Matrix the opening to shoot forward, ramming a knee into his chest and grabbing a fist full of his hair, roaring as he pulled back one fist, slamming it into Bloodstone's face again and again as they fell to the ground.

Matrix was over Bloodstone, Bloodstone blocking punch after punch from the Tiger's Eye Gem.

Bloodstone snarled, suddenly jabbing one hand into Matrix's abdomen, Matrix coughing blood onto Bloodstone's face upon impact.

Bloodstone pulled back his free hand, slamming his fist into Matrix's face and throwing him back through the air.

He appeared above Matrix, slamming both feet into his chest and slamming him into the floor, which gave way under them, taking them to the lower level of the ship.

Bloodstone leaned down as he stood on Matrix, grabbing a fist full of his hair as Matrix's eyes were clamped shut in pain.

"Like I said, you're an ant." He pulled back his scythe, which had quickly reappeared in his hand.

Matrix snarled as his eyes suddenly snapped open, and his head suddenly shot forward as he sunk his teeth into Bloodstone's shoulder.

"Gah! Damn it!" Bloodstone kicked Matrix across the floor.

"I am so damn sick of getting bit by you Crystal Savages!" Bloodstone panted with rage, watching as Matrix stumbled to his feet, grinning as he pulled his spear from his eye.

* * *

"Huh..?" Lapis's eyes slowly opened, and she glanced around.

She noticed the unconscious Howlite below her, and a rush of memories quickly hit her.

"Oh... Oh no..!" She looked up to the sky. There the ship floated.

"What..? Matrix and Peridot..." Lapis smiled lightly.

Her thoughts were brought back to the present, and she sat up. As she did, she felt Howlite's hand slide from her back, and she realized something.

He'd been covering her gem.

He'd taken the full force of the fall, and he'd kept her gem from shattering.

"He really knows how to keep me guessing..." She muttered, but smiled lightly.

"Well what have we got here?"

Lapis glanced over her shoulder, eyes narrowing as Sunstone stared down at her, bow glowing as a flaming arrow sat on its string, which was pulled back.

"Howlite really got soft if he was willing to risk his life to save scum like you." She smiled.

Lapis stood slowly, letting go of Howlite and turning to face Sunstone.

"That so?" Her wings spread from her gem, her eyes narrowing.

"Very much so!" Sunstone nodded, smiling.

Lapis shot up at her, pulling back one wing as the string was released.

* * *

"Stay away from Steven!" Moonstone jumped back as a whip struck the ground where he once stood.

He pulled up his dagger just in time to block Pearl's blade, Pearl glaring at him with something that could only be described as motherly fury.

Pearl kicked Moonstone back, and he landed on his hands, back flipping to his feet.

Amethyst spun at Moonstone, and he jumped over her. As she came to a stop, he noticed she had the same look.

Moonstone jumped back through the air, and behind him one could see an explosion of steam, Sunstone jumping back out of it as Lapis chased her.

"Well it appears you filthy Crystal's have gotten stronger." Moonstone ducked barely under Pearl's stab, slicing back Amethyst's whip before jumping back away from them again.

A shield came flying at him, smashing into his face and making him stumble back.

It was then that Pearl shot forward, stabbing at Moonstone.

Moonstone snarled, catching the blade in one hand.

"Well I've had my fun." He jumped back once again, letting go of Pearl's blade.

It was then that Pearl noticed the black blood on her blade from Moonstone's hand, and in an instant, an explosion of black spikes came from it, forcing Pearl to drop her blade, jumping back.

She skidded on her feet, watching as Steven rode Lion towards Howlite's crater. Moonstone quickly followed.

Sunstone was caught by the shirt after the explosion of steam, and Lapis pulled back one fist, roaring as she slammed it into Sunstone's face, sending her spiraling towards the ground.

"Someone as small as you shouldn't have such a potty mouth." Lapis landed on her feet, smirking as Sunstone picked herself up, growling as blood dripped from her nose.

"Oh, how I'm going to enjoy viciously tearing you apart." Sunstone tilted her head to the side, smiling with her eyes closed, her usual expression.

Moonstone jumped over Steven grinning as he landed on Lion's head, pulling back his dagger and thrusting it at him, only for it to be blocked by a shield.

Steven reached out, grabbed Moonstone by the collar of his torn shirt, much to his shock.

"I thought I told you!" Steven pulled back one fist, Moonstone's eyes wide in shock.

"Stay out of my way!"

Steven threw his fist forward, slamming it into a shocked Moonstone's face, throwing him forward.

Steven continued towards Howlite, noticing Hematite slashing soldiers away from him.

"Whoa... Didn't think the kid had it in him." Emerald muttered, glancing over at Steven as he shot by.

His eyes narrowed as Moonstone shot off towards Steven, roaring with anger.

Steven jumped, seeing Moonstone so close behind. "You think you can get away with that, child?!"

"Lion pick up the pace!"

As Moonstone stabbed forward, a green blade knocked his dagger aside, and Steven breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Emerald blocking the attack.

"You!" Moonstone snarled as they both landed, skidding away from one another.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance!" Moonstone shot off at Emerald, who rocketed forward on his boots, slamming one fist into his abdomen.

"Hey, remember when you attacked me way back at the Beach Brawl?" Emerald grinned, picking Moonstone up by the collar of his shirt. "Well I've been working on a few things since then."

He pulled back his free fist, slamming it into Moonstone's face, sending him back through the air.

Moonstone spun, landing on his feet and skidding.

"How can this be?! You gems shouldn't be any stronger! There's no way you should be able to stand against me, you're just an emerald!" Moonstone growled, pulling a second danger from his gem.

"Funny thing about having something to fight for." Emerald stood tall, Amazonite landing next to him.

"Gives you a bit of an extra edge."

* * *

Sunstone jumped back, Lapis's wing sticking through the ground below her as she fired three arrows at the water witch, each exploding upon hitting the ground.

Lapis shot from the fire and smoke, pulling back one fist as her wing swirled up around it.

Sunstone put up two arms in an X to block, Lapis's fist slamming into them and breaking her block, sending her flying back through the air.

Moonstone came from below, catching Sunstone and skidding.

"Alright, I think we've all had our fill."

The two grinned, Amazonite and Emerald landing next to Lapis.

'What? You think we can't take Eclipse?" Amazonite questioned.

"No, with how strong that Pearl has gotten, or with the help of Hematite, or if the dog were to wake up, Eclipse could be dealt with..." Sunstone grinned.

"But how would you fair against one of your own?"

"What?" Emerald said, before realizing Moonstone was staring at Lapis with glowing red eyes.

Lapis grabbed her head, crying out in pain.

"What are you doing?!" Emerald snarled, turning his head back to Moonstone and Sunstone.

Lapis stumbled back, her fingers digging into her head. "A-agh!"

"Lapis!" Amazonite reached out to Lapis, and a wing slashed at her, making her bring her hand back immediately.

Lapis panted, looking up slowly with glowing red eyes.

"Uh..." Emerald stepped back.

In an instant Lapis shot forward, ramming one fist into Emerald's abdomen and forcing him to cough up blood.

She kicked out to the side, slamming both feet into Amazonite and making her skid back as she jumped back, grinning.

"This one has been through quite a bit of trauma." Moonstone grinned. "She was easy to control."

"Lapis, we don't want to hurt you." Emerald said, standing slowly as he held his stomach.

Lapis grinned, water being drawn from the mud below them and the clouds above them, forming water clones.

"Oh balls..." Emerald stepped back, seeing himself standing before him.

"You said it..." Amazonite stepped back as well, her water clone stepping forward.

* * *

Howlite's eyes snapped open at the sound of Lapis's screams.

He shot up, wincing as he looked around.

"About time!" Hematite slashed a soldier in two, jumped and stabbing another.

"Huh..?" Howlite glanced around.

"Oh... Right... Warfare." He stood slowly, watching as Steven jumped on Lion over the soldiers, landing behind Howlite and skidding to a stop.

Steven jumped off, licking his hand.

Howlite groaned. "How I hate your healing process..."

* * *

"We've gotta get over there!" Pearl shot across the mud, pulling back her blade as she got closer to Lapis.

In an instant, the mud and clouds had water being sucked from them, forming a water Pearl in front of her, which blocked her blade with ease, skidding back.

Amethyst rolled by, spinning rapidly towards Lapis.

A whip of water caught her, throwing her back through the air.

She slammed back first into a rock, coughing blood into the air as a water Amethyst stood before her, cracking her water knuckles.

"Oh, come on!"

* * *

"Oh what a lovely show!" Moonstone and Sunstone watched them fight their clones from a vantage point, standing on the top of one of the Kindergarten's many cliff faces and watching with nothing but glee.

In an instant, Moonstone was caught by the face, being slammed into and dragged across the ground.

"Alright gremlins, play time's over." Howlite pulled back one fist as he stood over Moonstone.

He heard a whistling, and held out one hand behind him, a wall of ice blocking the fire full explosion.

"You'll get your turn, don't worry." Howlite looked back to Moonstone, and stared directly down into those glowing red eyes.

Moonstone laughed as Howlite's grip loosened, grabbing hold of his mind.

* * *

Moonstone suddenly found himself standing in a black plain, looking around with surprise.

"Where-"

He heard a loud snarl, and felt a hot gust of breath hit his back.

He turned around slowly, seeing the World Eater standing behind him.

It grinned.

* * *

Moonstone pulled back immediately, gasping for breath.

"Not gonna work on me, ya little bastard." Howlite grinned, lifting Moonstone up by the head.

Howlite threw him back through the air, sucking air into his lungs.

"Here's a present!"

He roared, and a beam of white energy, quite similar to that of the God Eater, fired across the field, engulfing Moonstone!

Howlite grinned, turning to look at Sunstone.

She grit her teeth, shooting off the ground at Howlite, pulling back one fist.

As Howlite threw his own punch, she disappeared.

He turned around quickly, seeing her picking up Moonstone, who growled at Howlite.

"Uh oh..." Howlite gulped, watching as the two morphed into a ball of darkness.

Eclipse stood tall, appearing before Howlite in an instant, slamming one fist into his abdomen and making him hunch over in pain.

Blood seeping from his mouth, Howlite glared up at Eclipse, who loomed over at him.

"Long time no see, Rabid Dog." Eclipse kicked Howlite, sending him flying back across the ground.

"Last time I saw you, you were face down in the sand!"

* * *

"Now!" Connie yelled out, and 107 threw her forward at the ship.

She spun, stabbing into the wall of it with her sword. 107 pulled back his blade, slicing through the wall and shooting inside.

He landed inside, turning to the left and extending his blade down the hall, stabbing a soldier running towards them.

Connie swung on her sword, pulling it free and jumping inside, landing on her feet and standing back to back with 107 for a moment.

The two looked around, checking for guards.

"They'll be coming soon." 107 said. "Come on, this way." He began running down the left hallway. Connie followed.

Soon enough, they made it to the main room, looking around.

"Empty..." 107's eyes narrowed.

"That's wei-"

Connie was suddenly pushed behind 107, who held up his blade, blocking a large axe.

Halite jumped back, Cuprite jumping down next to him.

"Oh great. You Clods." 107 sighed.

"U-uh... Thanks." Connie smiled at 107, who looked at her blankly in return.

"You are currently needed for my survival."

* * *

Bloodstone dodged quickly around Matrix's stabs, catching his spear and jumping forward, slamming his fist into Matrix's face.

Matrix's head was forced to the side, but he glared at Bloodstone out of the corner of his eye, refusing to be thrown back as he brought up one knee into Bloodstone's chin, making him stumble back as Matrix jumped into the air, kicking him square in the chest and sending him skidding back across the ground.

Bloodstone sat up slowly, growling as he saw Matrix rushing across the floor at him.

"Damn it!" He held one hand out, firing a beam of black into Matrix.

Matrix shot out the other side, scorch marks coating him as he grabbed Bloodstone's wrist, pulling it aside.

Bloodstone stared at him in shock as he pulled back one fist, ramming it into his face and sending him smashing through the floor.

Matrix panted, stumbling slightly as blood seeped from his mouth.

"H-how..?!" Bloodstone asked as he picked himself up slowly.

"How can you possibly face me? You're injured, you sustained injuries earlier, you've been beaten senseless, and you still get back up?!" Bloodstone stood slowly, blood dripping from his mouth.

"How?! How can you possibly keep fighting?! How can you just brush off my attacks?!" Bloodstone stared at Matrix from the lower floor he was knocked to, Matrix standing above him.

"What are you?!"

Matrix smirked, holding his spear out to his side. "I keep getting back up because I have to. Because even if you destroy my physical form, even if you crush my gem, I'll still come back."

"Because, unlike you," Matrix pointed at himself with his thumb.

"I've got people to protect."

"People to protect..?" Bloodstone stared at Matrix, a look of confusion on his face, as if something didn't compute.

In an instant, Matrix was jumping back, Bloodstone's scythe stabbing into the ground where he once was.

"Oh, don't give me that crap!" Bloodstone shot off the ground at Matrix, swinging his scythe rapidly at Matrix, who barely dodged around his swings.

"Who do you think you are to stand up to me?! What is a thick skulled brute like you to a god?!"

In an instant, Bloodstone's scythe was stopped, caught in Matrix's palm by the handle, the scythe blade digging into his shoulder. He didn't notice.

"Tell me, Bloodstone," Matrix shot forward, ramming his head into Bloodstone's, throwing Bloodstone back through the air with a roar of pain.

Matrix cracked his knuckles, blood dripping from his forehead from the force that he headbutted Bloodstone with.

 **"What is a god to a non-believer?"**

* * *

 **See what I meant about the tip of the iceberg thing? I don't exactly have a lot to say, so I'll just remind you that the more reviews, the faster the next chapter gets here.  
**

 **I know, I'm kinda greedy with the whole review thing. But I live in constant fear of this story just suddenly failing.**

 **Now then, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	48. Chapter 47: Phase 2 (Part 3)

**Thanks go to Kagehime-sama53, Guest, Guest, Your Reader, Person, SpectorChris, Jak Fortune, LeWallaby, ShadowFighter2, Guest, and Guest.  
**

 **Okay uh... I know I promised an early chapter and ended up giving a late and short one, and I feel like human garbage for doing so, but Thanksgiving break is coming up, so hopefully I'll be able to put out a few chapters in those few days.**

 **Please forgive me.**

 ***Ducks under glass bottle***

 **Gah! Who keeps doing that?!**

 ***Ducks under another***

 **Oh I am gonna sue the crap outta y-**

 **You know what, I don't care. Onto the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"Not now..." 107's eyes narrowed as he pushed Connie behind him, his blade reappearing over his left arm.

"What are you doing?" Connie questioned. "You can't fight them alone!"

"We can't fight them together, either." 107 said simply. "Coming up here with me has only succeeded in lessening the both of our life spans."

"Oh come on, give me a chance!" Connie demanded, stomping one foot down. "I am so sick of Gems pushing me behind as if I'm second rate!"

107 glanced over his shoulder, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"If you want me to prove it to you, then fine!" Connie launched off the ground at the two Gems, 107 reaching out to catch her, but it was futile.

"Wait, child!"

Cuprite shot forward, and hammer struck blade.

Connie was forced back through the air, skidding on her feet.

She jumped back, Cuprite's hammer swinging under her as she back flipped, landing on her feet as the hammer swung just in front of her.

She shot forward, stabbing at Cuprite's head. The stab was dodged, and Cuprite swung up at her chin with his hammer.

She brought her head back just in time, hammer swinging just by her chin.

She jumped back, and as she did, she noticed a shadow coming from above her.

She looked up with fear flashing across her face as Halite came from above, pulling his axe back.

As Halite grinned, swinging his axe downward at her, it was stopped in an instant, and Halite's eyes widened.

107 stared coldly, piercing into Halite's eyes with his own as he held that axe in place with one hand.

"Ganging up on earthling children?" 107 shook his head.

"I'm seriously disappointed."

 **Chapter 47: Phase 2 (Part 3)  
**

 **Falling Sky (Part 2)**

 _"I came to the fork in the road and went straight."  
_

* * *

"Well, that's problematic." Hematite looked over, watching Lapis's water clones fight the Gems, easily going toe to toe with them.

"Lapis!" Steven exclaimed in surprise.

"Now why would she be..." Hematite glanced up, seeing Howlite being smacked into the sky, something rocketing up towards him, pulling back one fist.

Howlite caught the fist, stopping the assailant, who appeared to be Eclipse.

"Eyup, that explains it." Hematite nodded once.

"What are we gonna do?" Steven looked to Hematite, fear showing in his eyes.

"Well ki-" Hematite suddenly seemed to register the feeling of worry Steven was giving off. He sighed.

"Look," Hematite knelt down to be eye level with Steven, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You go on your Lion and warn Peridot Garnet and Blue Diamond. The last thing we need is water clones of them running around..."

"It'll be alright, I promise."

Steven smiled lightly, partially because of Hematite's words and partially because of the smile he was attempting.

Perhaps his lack of vision kept him from making expressions properly, but Steven believed it was just because he didn't smile enough. Maybe after this was all over he'd work on that with him.

"But what about you?" Steven asked, and Hematite smirked lightly.

"I'm going to go... Attempt to calm down Lapis." Hematite stood, reaching for his sword.

"You... You won't hurt her, right?" Steven asked.

"..." Hematite went silent. "I... I won't kill her."

Steven got the feeling that was as close to an 'Okay' as he was going to get.

Steven nodded, hopping onto Lion, opening a portal and jumping through.

Hematite sighed, unsheathing his blade as he stared at the cleared area, in which Emerald, Amazonite, Pearl, and Amethyst fought their clones.

And where Lapis stood in the middle, watching, waiting.

She was staring up at Howlite and Eclipse as they collided again and again in the sky, as if uninterested in the battles around her.

"Welp..." Hematite held both blades, cracking his neck and groaning.

"I don't usually fight people who don't use swords, but I can make an exception."

* * *

Howlite roared, kicking quickly at Eclipse, who easily dodged around them, reaching out and catching him by the leg, spinning and throwing him across the sky.

"Wow, looks like something really slowed you down, Wolfy!" Eclipse grinned as he appeared above Howlite, opening a palm in his face.

"Maybe you're finally getting old!"

Howlite suddenly forced Eclipse's hand aside, the blast firing off into the distance, an explosion rising over the horizon.

Howlite snarled, slamming his head into Eclipse's. "I don't have time for this!"

He kicked into the fusion's stomach, sending him rocketing into the sky.

And sending himself rocketing towards the ground.

Howlite flipped in air, landing on his feet and bending his knees as the ground exploded into a crater below him.

 ** _You know, if you were to eat him, you'd probably heal faster... And then I could come out again, and we could end all of this._**

 _Shut up! I don't need you!  
_

 ** _Oh please. What was the last battle you so much as tied without me?_**

Howlite growled, the ground exploding away from him as he rocketed towards Eclipse, who was rocketing down at him.

Injector glass shattered, dust being kicked up and clouds being knocked away as the two collided.

Fist hit fist, leg hit leg. They both pulled back their heads, ramming them together.

Eclipse pulled back one fist underhand, slamming it up into Howlite's diaphragm, Howlite coughing blood out onto his face.

He pulled up his other fist, slamming it down on the top of his head and sending him rocketing into the ground.

Howlite exploded into the earth, laying there panting as dirt fell back slowly, landing and dirtying his pure white skin.

Eclipse landed before him, grinning as his tongue slipped from his mouth, licking the blood spat into his face a moment ago.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen." Eclipse grinned, holding up one palm to the crater.

Howlite's teeth grit, and one eye snapped open. He saw water clones fighting in the distance.

He didn't have time for this.

"Well, it's been fun." The black glow grew brighter.

In an instant, Howlite had appeared before him, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling his hand to the side, the wave of power flying off into the distance.

"HEY!" Howlite said, anger and impatience clear in his voice.

"WANNA SEE SOMETHING COOL?!" The ground around them froze, cracks running through it. It exploded into the air, Howlite pulling back his fist as white energy twisted like a spring around it.

As Eclipse's eyes remained wide in shock, Howlite slammed his spring wrapped fist directly into his face, sending him rocketing through the air with a shock wave.

Howlite appeared above him, pulling up two spring wrapped legs, shooting them down rapidly into Eclipse's chest repeatedly.

Howlite pedal kicked the dark fusion deep into the earth, the ground around them shaking as Howlite's roars of anger resonated with Eclipse's roars of pain.

* * *

Matrix panted, standing at the bottom of the ship. They had managed to break their way through every floor, expanding their arena throughout the ship.

Matrix looked around, seeing the ship's power core glowing golden behind them. His memories of the ship going down flashed before his eyes.

Opal shooting him with that final arrow.

Garnet throwing Jasper into the power core.

Even that little song she sang.

All pleasant memories now.

Bloodstone panted with rage, blood running down from his forehead and into his right eye, forcing him to keep it closed.

"You... You can't defeat me, damn it!" Bloodstone snarled, stomping one foot down.

"Watch. Me." Matrix smirked, despite how winded he looked, right arm hanging limp as he stood slightly hunched, holding his spear tightly in his left hand.

"No... No no no no!" Bloodstone stomped his feet, like a child not getting his way.

"You... You can't kill me! You're scum on my boot! You're nothing!" He held up one palm, symbol appearing and glowing on it.

"Are you insane?! You'll bring the whole ship down!" Matrix said, hands clenching into fists as he yelled.

Bloodstone laughed, aiming him palm at Matrix. "It'll all be worth it to end you, you miserable little punk!"

Matrix growled, shooting forward at Bloodstone as Bloodstone fired.

The symbol rocketed towards Matrix, images of it exploding in the air above Beach City, throwing Gems and Humans alike to the ground, flashing before his eyes.

Heh... Those days seemed so far away now.

Everything seemed so far away now.

He pulled back his spear, roaring as he slammed it's head into the center of the symbol, making a shock wave rock the ship as he stopped it in its tracks.

"What?!" Bloodstone exclaimed in shock.

Matrix growled as he was pushed back by the symbol, cracks running through the wood of his spear's handle.

Matrix winced, taking a step forward, pushing the symbol back. "I... Won't... Let you!"

"Stop! Stop it right now!"

Bloodstone jumped over the symbol, pulling his scythe into the air as he came over Matrix.

Matrix snarled, glaring up at him.

His spear snapped.

 _So, this is it then._

In an instant, Matrix felt himself moving without thinking, his right hand stopping the symbol dead in it's tracks as his left reached up, catching the scythe by it's blade.

Blood dripping from Matrix's left palm down onto his face as he glared down at Bloodstone.

Bloodstone's scythe point poked from the back of his hand, which seemed to have an almost transparent white arm overlapping it.

Matrix's right arm seemed to have a transparent orange arm overlapping it, claws like that of a tiger coming from the nails.

"H-how can this..?" Bloodstone stared down at Matrix, fear in his eyes.

Matrix jumped up, and for a split second, Bloodstone could have sworn an orange gem was where his nose was supposed to be.

Holding the symbol by its center, Matrix slammed his head into Bloodstone's, pulling Bloodstone's scythe aside.

Bloodstone flew back through the air, landing on floor above them.

Bloodstone smashed into the wall, falling from it and landing on the floor, which happened to break off into the hole right where his head was, letting him stare down at Matrix in shock.

An orange glow came from Matrix's left eye as he stared up at Bloodstone, right hand holding the symbol and left hand holding his scythe.

"You probably never thought you'd end like this." Matrix spoke, breaking the deafening silence.

"You never thought your sins would catch up with you." Bloodstone struggled to sit up, but it was no use.

The black energy from both the symbol and scythe ran up Matrix's arms.

"But you were wrong." Matrix began walking towards Bloodstone, and Bloodstone forced himself up to his hands and knees.

"Now you're going to pay."

"N-no! Stay back!"

Matrix jumped into the air, the black swarming around his left eye.

Bloodstone fell back as Matrix jumped, floating at the edge in front of him.

Behind him three transparent Gems floated, two orange and one white.

"NOW BURN!" All four of them yelled in unison, Matrix throwing Bloodstone's very own weapons at him.

Bloodstone's scream of horror was drowned out by the roar of the explosion.

* * *

Peridot, Garnet, and Blue Diamond all looked up, along with the army, as an explosion of black blew from the side of the ship.

Peridot gulped, fear showing in her eyes.

"T-that was one of Bloodstone's attacks, right..?" She said more to herself than anyone else.

"N-no... Matrix will come out of this." She shook her head. "He always does..."

Garnet stared blankly up at the ship, but her hands clenched into fists, shaking.

 _The time is drawing closer..._

* * *

Lapis watched as Howlite smashed Eclipse further into the ground, her water clones shifting slightly before continuing their fighting.

As if something was fighting back. Or at least trying to.

Lapis's left wing suddenly spiraled up, blocking a blade.

Hematite jumped back, skidding on his feet and holding up both blades as he prepared to attack again.

Lapis said nothing.

The two shot off at one another, wing clanging against blade.

They disappeared and reappeared across the battlefield, water splashing occasionally.

The two suddenly reappeared, skidding away from one another.

"We don't have to do this. You can fight and defeat this, Lapis!" Hematite said, but Lapis once again chose not to respond.

She shot off the ground at Hematite, slashing rapidly, each slash being blocked with ease.

Lapis's wings spread multiple points, stabbing rapidly at Hematite, who dodged quickly around each one.

Lapis roared with anger, the glow of red tainting her usually blue eyes.

"Yeah no no, it's okay Howlite..." Hematite muttered sarcastically as he and Lapis collided.

You handle Eclipse, I'll happily deal with this one... Great compromise we came to!" Hematite groaned angrily as he back flipped from one of Lapis's wings.

"It's not like you'd do a better job of calming her down or anything!"

* * *

"Well, it's been fun." Howlite floated from the crater, holding a barely conscious Eclipse.

"But I've got bigger fish to fr-" Howlite heard a clang, and his eyes widened as he glanced over at Hematite and Lapis.

He growled. "Damn it Hematite..!"

He dropped Eclipse, shooting off the ground towards the two.

Eclipse hit the ground, coughing blood but grinning as his eyes opened slowly.

"These Crystal Traitors all have the same weakness..." He began to laugh that sickening laugh of his.

* * *

Hematite spun through hands of mud water, slashing at lighting speed to Lapis.

But just as he reached her, slashing down her water defense and making her stumble back in shock, a white blur shot in the way, holding up two iced hands and catching both blades.

Lapis jumped back in surprise, skidding on her feet as Howlite growled at a surprised Hematite.

"What are you doing?" Hematite asked, only slight surprise showing in his voice.

"We're trading out. Now." Howlite said sternly, and Hematite sighed, letting go of them and looking to Eclipse, who was dusting himself off.

Their eyes met as Eclipse looked up.

Eclipse grinned.

"Good luck." Hematite glanced over his shoulder at Howlite, who nodded once.

Hematite shot off towards Eclipse, and Howlite looked back to Lapis, who stood grinning, wings spreading out to her sides and forming multiple points.

"Lapis, can we just skip to the part where you snap out of this?" Howlite arched a brow at her, tilting his head slightly to the side. "Because I really don't feel like fighting you."

Lapis shot off the ground at Howlite, stabbing quickly at him.

Howlite dodged easily around each of the stabs, not retaliating at all.

"Are you sure?" Howlite jumped back, skidding as he landed.

"What, are you afraid to fight me?" Lapis's voice seemed somewhat twisted.

Howlite sighed. He held one hand in front of his mouth, spreading his fingers and making his metal maw appear.

"That's what I thought..."

* * *

Matrix landed on his hands and knees before the large hole in the wall, panting slightly as the black energy slowly swirled away from his arms.

"Well... I think I might have... Oh who am I kidding?" Matrix looked up, glancing around. "I know you're here somewhere Reaper."

"Well you almost had me, I'll give you that..." Bloodstone landed before Matrix, blood running down his right arm, almost completely covering it.

"And if those hadn't been my own attacks, I most certainly would be in shards right now. As much as it disgusts me to admit it..." Bloodstone's scythe appeared once again.

"I've grown... Tired, Matrix." Bloodstone's eyes narrowed as he looked down.

Matrix watched him with narrow eyes, standing slowly and pulling his spear from his eye, panting slightly. "What do you mean?"

"It's... Not important." Bloodstone looked back up, expression hardening as he spun his scythe.

"Now come on. Let's finish this."

* * *

107 and Halite collided throughout the air as Connie and Cuprite collided on the floor, clangs ringing.

"Hm... You're quite the human, I'll give you that!" Cuprite swung at Connie's feet as she jumped over them, spinning down at shocking speeds and making Cuprite jump back, a slash appearing across his chest as blood sprayed through the air.

Connie shot after him, forcing him to hastily bring up his hammer to block her blade, stumbling slightly.

"Thanks." Connie didn't seem too friendly as she spoke.

107 jumped back, Halite's axe slicing into the ground.

"You didn't win the first time, what makes you think you can win now?" 107 tilted his head to the side, arching a brow at Halite.

"Because we've got an extra trick up our sleeve." Halite grinned at Cuprite, who nodded solemnly before jumping to the center of the room.

Halite jumped to the center of the room as well, and the two smirked at one another.

"... How did I not account for this?" 107 wondered aloud as he watched them.

"Uh... Account for what?" Connie asked nervously, but 107 just pointed at the ball of light the two were morphing into.

"Oh you've gotta be..." Connie jumped back next to 107, gulping.

"Kidding you?" 107 shook his head. "No."

The ball of light slowly formed a large Gem, a black booted foot slamming down onto the ground, two eyes snapping open.

"Bad news, child." 107 let out a small sigh.

 **"Our probability of survival just plummeted."**

* * *

 **Okay, I know the chapter was pretty short, shortest chapter in awhile, but I've been buried in work lately, been sick, and been dealing with other personal things.  
**

 **So yeah, my apologies. I kinda lost muse for this chapter, but I'm sure it'll come back eventually.**

 **Probably with next chapter, considering all of the things going on.**

 ***Le maniacal grin***

 **This chapter was more just setting things up. I mean, there's so much going on, it's all kind of hard to keep together. And again, sorry for updating late when I said I'd update early, but like I said, all of that stuff just kinda appeared out of no where and kept me as far from this as it could.**

 **But with Thanksgiving break starting at the end of tomorrow, yes I'm aware of the strange wording there, there will hopefully be a few more chapters in that short time period.**

 **With proper reviews, or course.  
**

 **It hurts to say that last part, but I find it necessary.**

 **Heh...**

 **Anywho, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	49. Chapter 48: Phase 2 (Part 4)

**Thanks go to Cfintimidator, Guest, Someone, SpectorChris, S U fan, Kagehime-sama53, 50 shades of orange gem, and ice elf30.**

 **I do like the song, S U fan. And don't worry, it'll all happen in due time... Huehuehuehue...**

 **Fun Fact: I actually thought about putting a Halloween Episode in the filler after this, but as it's past Halloween, I probably won't.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

Bloodstone found himself walking through that grey plain once more.

Grey to his right, White to his left.

It was strange, that sense of alone had dulled.

It was as if just being around those two had managed to make him feel a little less alone.

In an instant, the white was closing in on him.

Just like the others.

They _all_ wanted to hurt him.

He cut it down with ease, but as he went to keep walking, the grey stood in his way.

He was alone.

They were both alone.

And they wanted to hurt each other.

Bloodstone cut the grey down, breaking into a run through the plain. He wanted to escape.

Everything wanted him dead, everything wanted him out of the way. Everything betrayed him.

As he ran, the very ground deceived him, collapsing under him.

As he sunk, he looked up, figures of cracked white, orange, and pink staring down at him.

They would offer him a hand. They accepted so many others, surely he would be saved as well.

They did not reach to help him.

He only continued to sink.

Even they had forsaken him.

He was alone.

 **Chapter 48: Phase 2 (Part 4)**

 **Falling Sky (Part 3)**

 _"Death is something that us immortals can't really understand, huh?"  
_

 _"Jasper please whatever you're planning just don't-"_

 _"T-Tiger no! I never hated you!"_

 _"Heh... And here I thought I was the rational one of the two of us."_

 _"You aren't my bodyguard anymore. So you don't have to die protecting me, alright?"_

* * *

Matrix took a deep breath, let it out from his nose as he closed his eyes.

He and Bloodstone stood at opposite ends of the ship, each holding their weapon, each standing ready despite their injuries.

"Are you ready yet?" Bloodstone asked impatiently.

"... Yeah, yeah I'm ready." Matrix said, opening his eyes as he stared across the room at Bloodstone.

The two shot off the ground at one another, scythe clanging against spear. _Far From Over_ by _Rev Theory_ began playing the moment they collided.

Bloodstone's scythe swung down at Matrix, who held up his spear, blocking it before swinging under it, kicking both feet into Bloodstone's chest and sending him skidding back as Matrix back flipped to his feet, shooting off the ground at him.

Bloodstone dodged spear stabs while moving backwards, Matrix thrusting his spear quickly at him, Bloodstone just barely dodging.

Matrix shot forward, pulling back one fist as he did so.

Bloodstone caught his fist, swinging his scythe at him only for it to be blocked with Matrix's spear. The two glared at one another, baring fangs as their foreheads touched for a moment before they jumped back, skidding slightly before rocketing off at one another once again.

Their fists collided, and with both of them having their arms extended fully in the punch, they both pulled back their weapons, clangs being heard as they rapidly stabbed and swung, each being blocked and thrown off of it's course.

Matrix suddenly ducked under the weapons, sweeping Bloodstone's legs out as they both dropped their weapons.

Bloodstone landed on his hands, back flipping into the air as Matrix jumped after him.

Matrix slammed one fist into Bloodstone's chin, Bloodstone's head being pushed back before he rammed his knee into Matrix's chest, making him cough blood and hunch over before Bloodstone took him by the back of his shirt, spinning and slamming him into the ground as they landed.

Bloodstone jumped up from Matrix, Matrix climbing to his hands and knees.

He coughed blood, panting as he winced.

"Do us both a favor and stay down. You can't and won't beat me." Bloodstone crossed his arms, watching Matrix force himself to his knees, leaning back and looking through the hole in the ship.

The night was fading, a light slowly creeping into the sky.

Oh how symbolic.

Matrix forced himself to his feet, stumbling slightly.

Bloodstone groaned, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, what don't you get? No matter how hard you try, I'm always going to be stronger than you. You can't catch up with me, I'm an Immovable Object."

"Well, what happens when an Immovable Object meets an Unstoppable Force?" Matrix grinned with bloodied teeth.

"It breaks to shards against it!" Bloodstone shot forward, grabbing Matrix by the face and slamming through wall after wall of the giant ship.

"And if you don't believe me, I'll show you!" Bloodstone slammed Matrix's head through one last wall, and Matrix could feel the breeze of the outside world, his eyes closing for just a moment.

That was until his foot shot forward, ramming into Bloodstone's diaphragm, making him cough blood, stumbling back as he held his stomach.

Matrix pulled his head from the wall at lightning speed, slamming his head like a hammer down on Bloodstone's skull, sending Bloodstone down into his knee, which he brought up quickly, throwing Bloodstone up, Matrix pulling back one fist as he came up.

He slammed his fist into Bloodstone's chest, throwing him back through the wall of the room.

Bloodstone flipped and skidded on the floor, stopping on his hands and knees and looking up at the sound of feet pounding on the cold tile floor.

Matrix ran quickly across the floor, pulling back one foot and slamming it into Bloodstone's chin, throwing him into the air.

Blood flew from the Reaper's mouth as he bit through his own tongue, one eye wincing shut as he looked down at Matrix, who jumped up to him, pulling back both fists to one side, slamming them into Bloodstone's chest and abdomen, left above right as he sent Bloodstone flying across the room.

Matrix landed on his feet, pulling his spear from his eye and spinning it once before launching off the ground at Bloodstone, who was picking himself up from the combo, trying to move faster as he heard feet pounding against the floor once more.

He looked up, and his eyes widened.

A horde of Matrix were racing towards him.

An army of holograms.

Bloodstone grit his teeth, holding up one palm to them. "You think I can't obliterate all of you?!"

In an instant, Matrix came from the ceiling, standing on top of his spear as it stabbed through Bloodstone's hand.

Bloodstone's eyes widened in shock as he was pulled back the hand to the floor, hand being stapled to the floor as Matrix stood crouched on the top of his spear, smirking down at him as Bloodstone snarled at him.

"Okay, You caught me off guard, I'll give you that one." Bloodstone pulled back his free fist, slamming it through the spear and breaking it in two, making Matrix back flip from it and into the air.

Bloodstone yanked his hand free, shooting off the ground at Matrix and pulling back one fist.

He threw the punch, which was caught as Matrix grit his teeth.

Matrix pulled back his own fist, but Bloodstone moved faster, slamming one foot into his side and making him hunch to the side slightly as Bloodstone brought up both fists, joining them together before bringing them down on the side of Matrix's head, sending him spinning into the floor, which exploded into tiles.

Matrix jumped back from the plum of dust that was kicked up with his landing, skidding to a stop as Bloodstone slammed down where he was a moment ago.

Bloodstone shot off the ground at Matrix from where he landed, pulling back one leg.

Matrix ducked under the kick, jumping up behind him and slamming one fist into his lower back, sending him spiraling into the air, where he stopped himself, his scythe appearing.

"DIE DIE DIE DIE!" Bloodstone demanded, swinging his glowing scythe and sending black slashes into the floor, Matrix quickly avoiding them.

Matrix shot up, pulling back one fist and throwing it at Bloodstone, who held up the handle of his scythe, blocking the punch with it.

Matrix grabbed hold of the handle, flipping over it and bringing one leg down on Bloodstone head like an axe, sending him slamming into the floor down on his feet, the floor cracking as it became more and more unstable.

Matrix threw his spear down at Bloodstone, who caught it, moving it aside to see Matrix coming down to kick him.

"I told you once," Bloodstone swung the hilt of the spear at Matrix, breaking it across his face and sending him in a spin to the ground, landing and skidding before jumping to his feet.

"That trick won't work on me." Bloodstone tossed the spear aside as it disappeared.

"I hit everyone with it at least once, Reaper." Matrix grinned. "Just you wait."

Bloodstone groaned. "How has a numb skull like this managed to stick up to me?"

"I'm very stubborn." Matrix answered honestly.

"Pushing harder will only get you so far." Bloodstone grinned. "There are some walls you just can't scale."

"Y'know, people usually tell me that right before I plant my foot firmly in their a-"

"Enough talk!" Bloodstone shot off the ground at Matrix, pulling back his fist as he did so.

Matrix ducked under his punch, throwing up his own, which was easily caught.

Bloodstone spun, planting his feet on the ground and throwing Matrix over his shoulder and into the floor.

Matrix jumped up as Bloodstone stomped down on the floor, which cracked.

He jumped up to be over Bloodstone, pulling back his foot, slamming it into Bloodstone's face.

Bloodstone skidded back across the floor, glaring at Matrix out of the corner of his eye as blood dripped from his nose.

Matrix shot off the ground at Bloodstone, pulling back a newly made spear.

Bloodstone shot forward, snarling as the spear pierced his shoulder, coming out through the back.

Bloodstone grabbed Matrix by the face, running across the floor and slamming him head first into the wall.

He pulled the spear from his shoulder, pulling it back as he opened his fingers, revealing Matrix's left eye and gem.

"This ends now!" Bloodstone proclaimed, stabbing at Matrix's eye with his own weapon.

With a glow, the weapon did no pierce his eye, only being absorbed back into it, as if it was being returned.

Matrix grinned, and Bloodstone's eyes widened.

"Hey, stupid," Matrix slammed one foot into Bloodstone's chest, kicking him off and landing on his feet, stumbling slightly before grinning.

"If you're going to try to kill someone, don't use something they can absorb right back into their gem. Dumbass."

Bloodstone growled, hands clenching into fists.

"Looks like somebody's starting to slip." Matrix's grin widened.

"Says the one struggling to stand." Bloodstone smirked.

"At least I can properly kill someone."

Bloodstone roared, shooting off the ground at Matrix, pulling back one fist and swinging at him, only for it to be ducked under.

Matrix uppercut Bloodstone, making him stumble back as Matrix pulled back his fist, ramming it deep into his abdomen, making Bloodstone hunch over and cough blood.

Bloodstone stumbled back, holding his stomach. "H-... Ho-" Bloodstone broke into a fit of coughing.

"How..?!"

"like I said, I'm very stubborn." Matrix said, cracking his knuckles.

Fear and anger flashed across Bloodstone's face all at once, before he stood up straight, blood running from his mouth and down his chin.

"This... This isn't right." He shook his head. "This isn't how this is supposed to go!"

"We don't always get what we want, Reaps." Matrix shrugged.

"I've been playing a bad hand for awhile, but look at me." Matrix held his arms out to his sides.

"Doin' pretty damn well."

"You consider this doing well?!" Bloodstone snarled. "Look at yourself! Beaten, bloodied! Your death could come to you any minute! Even if you beat me, there's still an army down there to fight! And what happens if you do beat me? Lets face it, this ship isn't too good for landing right now."

"Guess I'm just more of a glass half full kinda guy." Matrix shrugged. "I mean it could be worse."

"How could things possibly be worse for you?"

"I could look like you. Gross."

"YOU ARE A CHILD!" Bloodstone shot off the ground at Matrix, slamming his elbow into his face, throwing him back across the room, slamming through a wall and into another room.

"Accurate..." Matrix agreed, lifting one hand and pointing at Bloodstone before sitting up.

"This all being said..." Matrix stood slowly, panting as he looked to the ground.

"I'm not exactly 'okay' with all of this..." Matrix looked up at Bloodstone, right eye closed as his left glowed, orange flames spiraling from it.

Bloodstone's eyes narrowed, watching as Matrix pulled a spear from his eye.

"To be honest, I've been holding in a lot of anger for awhile. You've taken a lot away." Matrix walked slowly towards Bloodstone.

"I've met people like you quite a lot in my life, megalomaniacs and sadists. Psychopaths and freaks. Monsters meant to hide under a child's bed."

"What are on about?" Bloodstone's eyes narrowed.

"I know your kind. You take and you take and you take to fill that little hole where your soul is supposed to be." Matrix shrugged.

"Pretty pathetic, if you ask me." Matrix stopped his approach, standing about ten feet apart from Bloodstone.

"You think you can-" Matrix cut Bloodstone off.

"Anyway, I've got a question for you." Bloodstone was clearly irritated by the interruption.

"Do you think even the worst person can change..?" Matrix arched a brow. "That everybody can be a good person if they just try?"

Bloodstone was surprised by the question.

"Actually, I've got a better question." Matrix said before Bloodstone could answer.

"Are you sorry? For anything, anything at all?" Matrix asked seriously, and even the hissing of busted wires and the crackling of flames stopped.

"..." Bloodstone went silent.

"Well?"

"... No."

Matrix sighed. "That's what I figured." _  
_

"Well then, let's go." Matrix said, and Bloodstone nodded.

The two shot off the ground at one another, Bloodstone ducking under Matrix's spear and bringing one palm into his arm, forcing him to drop the spear as he struck a pressure point.

Matrix jumped back, Bloodstone jumping forward after him and spinning, bringing one elbow down on Matrix's head.

Matrix blocked with both hands, quickly moving his head to the side to dodge the knee coming towards his face.

He threw Bloodstone into the air, shooting up after him and pulling back one fist, slamming it into his abdomen while pulling back his other fist, slamming that fist into his abdomen as well, continuing this process and beating Bloodstone further and further into the air.

He placed both hands on Bloodstone's shoulders, flipping over him and coming down with one leg, slamming his calf down on the top of his head and sending him exploding into the floor.

Matrix landed before the plum of dust that Bloodstone stumbled from, panting as he glared at Matrix with wincing eyes.

His scythe appeared and he pulled it back through the air, the blade glowing black.

He swung as Matrix shot forward at him, Matrix pulling back a newly created spear.

The blade of black energy shot forward at Matrix, who ignored it as he shot forward, pulling back his spear with a roar of anger.

The blade shot over him, slicing through the top of his shoulder.

Blood sprayed through the air, but Matrix didn't seem to notice as he reached a baffled Bloodstone, stabbing his spear forward with lightning speed.

"Gah!"

Matrix glared up at Bloodstone, who glared down at him in return.

Matrix's spear pierced through Bloodstone's abdomen, coming out his back. Blood dripped from the reaper's mouth and seeped from the stab wound.

Bloodstone panted, pulling back one fist and slamming it into Matrix's face, throwing him back across the floor.

Matrix laid there, trying in vain to stand, unable to even get to his knees, just pushing himself up on his hands.

"Heh... Heheheheh..." Bloodstone pulled the spear from its place in his stomach, tossing it aside.

"I knew your seemingly endless well of power would go dry eventually..." Bloodstone limped towards Matrix, pulling back one foot and slamming it into his side, sending him into the air.

Matrix landed on his back with a grunt, panting as blood seeped from his mouth, running down his cheek.

 _Far From Over_ faded from the background, being replaced by _Goodbye To A World_ by _Porter Robinson_.

"I knew determination could only get one so far." Bloodstone walked to Matrix, slamming one foot down on his chest.

"I'll admit, you had me questioning it for awhile, but now I know for sure." Bloodstone picked Matrix up by the collar of his shirt, pulling back one fist.

Matrix spat blood in his face, grinning with his blood stained teeth. "Heh... Oh darn. I almost had you for a second there, Reaps." He laughed weakly.

Bloodstone growled, throwing Matrix back through the air and onto the cold tile.

Matrix lay there on his back, panting and coughing.

Yet he still kept up that smug chuckle.

"..." Bloodstone's hands clenched into fists, and he walked to Matrix, pulling him up and pushing him up against the wall of the room, letting him lean weakly against it to stand.

"Okay, I have to know," Bloodstone grit his teeth. "All of you... All of you damn gems die with that stupid grin!"

"How?! How do you keep up that smile when you know you're going to die?! When you know that all of your friends will die as well?! Is it just because you know you won't have to see it?"

"Honestly?" Matrix coughed as he laughed, arching a brow at Bloodstone. "Because it's pretty funny to see the look on Death's face when you smile in it."

Bloodstone growled. "What?!"

"That's the look..." Matrix laughed once again, and Bloodstone roared, shooting forward and slamming an elbow into his face, throwing him back across the room and into the power core of the ship.

Matrix slammed against it, sliding down onto his bottom, back against the glass of the power core.

"Don't give me that crap!" Bloodstone pulled his scythe from his gem. "I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill your friends! So why on Earth are you smiling?!"

"You wanna know?" Bloodstone nodded.

"You _really_ wanna know?" Matrix grinned as Bloodstone nodded once again.

"It's because I actually know what's about to happen, and you don't." Matrix pulled his spear from his eye.

"Really? Because the only future I foresee here is one where you die and I survive."

"Heheheheheh..."

"What is so god damn funny?!"

Matrix flipped his spear around, pulling it back as the point faced the Power Core.

Bloodstone's eyes widened. "H-hey wait what are-"

"Well Reaps, you were half right." Orange flames swirled into the air from Matrix's eye as he grinned victoriously at Bloodstone. "I am gonna die here."

 _Peridot..._

 _Steven..._

 _Lapis..._

 _Garnet..._

 _Amethyst..._

 _Pearl..._

 _Hematite..._

 _Amazonite..._

 _Emerald..._

 _Connie..._

 _Greg...  
_

 _Jasper..._

 _Tiger..._

 _Zeolite..._

 _Blue Diamond..._

 _And even you, Howlite..._

Matrix stabbed his spear into the Power Core!

 _I'm sorry..._

"WE'RE BOTH GONNA DIE HERE, FILTHY REAPER!"

"NO!"

Golden energy exploded from the core across the ship, engulfing the room and both Gems inside.

Everyone on the ground looked up in shock, seeing the ship explode across the sky.

 _In the end, I knew I'd go out something like this..._ Though all Matrix really could see was the flash of golden lights, and all he could really feel was the agony of shock waves of power coursing through him, he still smiled.

Around him multiple images flashed. The moment in the cave before going to fight Lignite, laughing with everyone.

Sitting on a distant planet in front of a camp fire, looking injured. An injured Peridot sat across from him, and they both smiled, though they both looked as though they'd been through a lot in the past days.

Steven's birthday party, kissing Peridot on the roof, Thea fixing him up after she found him.

Blowing into those party horns on statue hand, fusing with Tiger at the Gem Utopia, Steven hugging him after he fought past Lignite and released them all.

His moment with Peridot at Lignite's grave, the door breaking down to reveal all of the Gems listening in on his conversation with Peridot in his room.

Peridot making him promise he wouldn't die. As all of this scene could be seen, it was revealed that Matrix had his fingers crossed behind his back.

Matrix could feel his physical form slipping away, his body beginning to disappear. All of the memories around him faded to black.

 _So that's that then..._ The blood disappeared from Matrix's face as he faded in and out, cracks spreading through his gem.

 _Garnet... Hematite... Howlite... Blue Diamond... If this doesn't do it, then please, one of you... Finish what I cannot...  
_

 _I suppose in the end, I'm not the hero meant for this story... One of you should be able to fill the part._

Matrix's thoughts drifted to Steven.

 _At least until the kid is ready to take up the roll permanently. After all, it's his universe. We're just living in it._

 _You're gonna do great things kid... Just you watch... I suppose it's a good thing I die now. What with you being half human, I don't think I could stand outliving you..._

Matrix smiled happily. _But what Reaper could take you?_

Matrix could feel himself break, physical form fading away.

 _At least now I won't have to hear Peridot yell at me for this..._

With his Gem still burning orange, his consciousness began to slip into whatever afterlife awaited him.

If one awaited him at all.

 _ **Is this what you had in mind, Thea..?**  
_

* * *

 **...It hurts...  
**

 **XWolf26, out**


	50. Chapter 49: Phase 2 (Part 5)

**Thanks go to Guest, S U Fan, Kagehime-sama53, RandomRiderGirl8, The Weeping Prophet, Demo-nisshu jinketsu Duke, Guest, and Guest.**

 **Okay, so after this, updates will most likely go back to once a week, as Thanksgiving break is over. But once Christmas/Winter break comes, ohoho... Get ready.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

 _Two hours before the ship comes down_

"Lapis, seriously, knock it off." Howlite dodged around her stabs, his metal maw clean and Lapis unscathed.

"What's the matter?! Afraid to hit me?!" Lapis snarled, her wings forming together into a hammer and slamming down at Howlite, who jumped back, back flipping and skidding in the mud.

"I'd like to keep up the streak." Howlite said, hands in his pockets.

Lapis shot off the ground at him, wings pulled back and sharp.

"But if you insist..." Howlite shot forward, and Lapis's grin widened.

She pulled back one fist, but Howlite caught it.

"Go on then! Hit me-" Lapis was cut off, the back of Howlite's hand smacking across her face.

"... Did you just..." Lapis glanced at Howlite out of the corner of her eye.

"I believe the earthling term is 'bitch slap'." Howlite grinned, tilting his head to the side.

"Now if that didn't snap you out of it I don't know what wi-" Howlite was kneed in the gut, hunching over and coughing blood.

"Fight me you prick!" Lapis demanded, bringing both fists into the air over Howlite's head and conjoining them.

"Well... It's apparent that you won't listen." Howlite said, catching her fists as they came down.

"Too bad." Howlite grinned, bringing his head up at shocking speeds, smashing his head into her chin and making her stumble back.

"I was trying so hard to be a good guy." The ground around him froze as his grin widened.

 **Chapter 49: Phase 2 (Part 5)**

 **Darkness**

 _"Do you think even the worst person can change..? And everyone can be a good person if they just try?"  
_

* * *

Eclipse and Hematite stood ten feet away from one another, staring each other down.

"Not gonna lie... I always wanted to kill you two. Something about you... Eh, just gets on my nerves." Hematite spoke first.

"And I always wanted fear to appear on that blank face of yours!" Eclipse shot forward, pulling back a glowing hand.

Hematite shot forward, disappearing as Eclipse swung at him, his glowing hand firing a wave of power as he did.

Hematite spun down from the sky, swinging both swords down at Eclipse.

With a glow, his blades were blocked, a black, curved blade reaching up and blocking it.

Hematite spun backwards, landing on his feet and standing ready as Eclipse twirled what looked like an over sized dagger.

"Well, that makes this a bit more interesting." Hematite smirked lightly.

* * *

107 jumped back, a hammer with axe blades coming out from the hammer smashing down into the floor where he once was.

"What's the matter?" Grinned the fusion.

It had to use all four arm to carry this gigantic hammer-axe. It's skin was a purplish grey, wearing a sleeveless black jumpsuit with a black helmet that resembled Halite's, his four muscular arms visible.

"Well you're trying to kill me, for one." 107 said blankly, glancing at his power level. 50%.

Space God damn it.

"Connie, that was your name, yes?" 107 jumped over the axe, landing on it and crouching like some sort of monkey.

"Yeah?" Connie jumped back, 107 jumping from the weapon as it was swung at Connie.

"Do you think you could handle distracting out enemy for a few minutes while I go do something?"

107 jumped up, pulling back one leg and kicking at the fusion, who dodged quickly, swinging at 107, who formed his shield, being smacked across the room and through a wall, where he groaned monotonously.

"A-are you sure? You're really trusting me with this?!" Connie said, shocked but clearly excited.

"Don't really have too many options, child..." 107 groaned as he sat up.

"I won't let you down!" Connie said, before jumping back, a hammer smashing through the ground where she once stood.

"I can hear you idiots!" The fusion roared.

"Hey, what's your name, anyway?" Connie changed the subject, running to a hallway and standing in the entrance.

"Spinel!" It said, swinging down at her once again, the axe getting caught at the top of the door as he swung down at her.

Clearly not the brightest bulb.

"Well, I think that's a stupid name!" Connie yelled, grinning mischievously at Spinel.

"What?! How dare you?!" Connie turned around quickly, running down the hallway.

"Come and get me, stupid!" She laughed mockingly, grinning as she ran, looking over her shoulder and sticking her tongue out at the giant.

Spinel roared, chasing after her.

"Well... We might make it through this after all... As long as she doesn't die." At those words, 107 felt something sting inside of him.

Worry?

* * *

Lapis blocked one fist with both wings, being pushed back through the air as Howlite followed, pulling back one iced fist this time and slamming through her wings, his fist ramming into her face and throwing her through the air!

Howlite landed on his feet as she spun in air, landing on hers as well.

"Heheh... And here I never thought you'd man up and hit me." Lapis spat blood to the side.

"Y'know this whole crazy bitch thing you got going on, really not attractive." Howlite said, crossing his arms as the ice faded from his hand and Lapis's wings reformed.

Lapis shot off the ground at Howlite, glaring as she stabbed quickly at him, barely giving him enough time to dodge.

Blood shot through the air, Lapis's wing slicing across Howlite's right shoulder.

Howlite reaching forward, grabbing at Lapis, who jumped back just in time.

Howlite jumped after her, ice forming around his fists again in order to punch through her wings.

Howlite pulled back, Lapis's wings coming up to block.

But as Howlite prepared to throw his fist forward, a look of fear and innocence appeared on her face.

Howlite's eyes widened, his fist stopping immediately.

Lapis's grin immediately returned, and her wing stabbed forward.

Howlite's eyes widened, blood spewing from his mouth as the wing went through his abdomen, coming out his back.

"Heheheh..." Lapis pulled back another wing, which formed a fist, slamming into Howlite's face and throwing him back through the air.

Howlite landed on his back, bouncing once. His eyes were clamped shut, one hand over his stab wound as blood seeped through his fingers, staining his skin.

"I knew that would work on some softy like you." Lapis crossed her arms, standing over Howlite.

"Honestly, it would have been a better idea to let Hematite fight me. But you couldn't let him 'save' me, now could you?" Lapis stomped down on Howlite's wound, making him roar in pain.

"Idiot!" She yelled over his roars of pain, stomping again and again, pushing her heel down into his wound.

"G-gah! Space God damn it..!" Howlite grabbed hold of Lapis's leg, finger nails digging into her skin.

"You think that'll stop me?!" Lapis's wing swirled up into the air, forming a point at tip.

"I'll kill you if you don't start fighting seriously!"

"W-will you..?" Howlite arched a brow at her, smirking through the pain. One eye was winced shut.

"What are you talking about?" Lapis demanded to know, her wing still pointing down at him.

"I didn't come here... So I could save you..." Howlite's grip tightened, a grin cracking across his face.

"I came here," Howlite shot up, pulling Lapis into the air with him by the leg, much to her shock.

"Because I knew you couldn't kill me!" Howlite threw Lapis over his shoulder into the ground, which exploded under her.

Howlite landed, stumbling slightly, holding his wound. "Because deep down, somewhere in there, you want me to pull you out of this."

"That's... Idiotic! Why would I want your help?!" Lapis said, climbing from the crater.

"If you didn't, you would have just created a water clone of me and continued your fight with Hematite." Howlite smirked, crossing his arms.

Lapis roared, shooting off the ground at Howlite and pulling back one fist, her wing swirling around it.

Howlite ducked, the fist swinging over him and he put one hand on the ground, pushing himself up and slamming one foot into Lapis's chin, throwing her into the air.

"Unfortunately, you've shown there's only one way for me to get this out of you." Howlite cracked his knuckles.

"Really?" Lapis wiped blood from her chin. "You're going to beat it out of me?"

"Eyap." Howlite cracked his neck, as if uninterested in this fight.

* * *

107 ran through the halls, going further and further down in the ship.

He could hear things crashing above him, knowing Connie was still running from Spinel.

107 came to a large door, three large guards standing at the door.

"Hey! You aren't supposed to be h-" The guard was cut off, a green blade piercing through his skull, the point splitting out twice more and piercing through the other two gems, making them all return to their gems.

107 ran by their gems, not bothering to smash them as he jumped at the door, pulling back his left fist as a giant green gauntlet appeared over it, slamming it forward into the door and breaking through it.

107 landed on the floor of the room, the doors flinging back and smashing two other Gem's bodies behind them.

107 looked around the room, both guards down as he spotted the Power Core.

A light smirk appeared on his face.

"Hm. This should work."

Tendrils came from his hand, piercing into the Power Core.

His battery raised at lightning speeds.

* * *

"This-" Connie jumped over an axe, landing on her feet, stumbling slightly.

"Is-" She rolled forward, hammer slamming down where she once was.

"Nothing!" She spun around, blocking the hammer-axe with her sword, arms shaking as she fell to one knee.

She winced, panting as the axe pushed her down further and further.

 _107, please, hurry!_

In an instant, Spinel was thrown back across the hallway, smashing through a wall and back into the main room.

"Still picking on a child, I see." 107 landed, his blade wrapped around his arm, bulking out in a way that was all too familiar to half of the fusion, it's eyes widening in fear.

107 grinned. "Prototype Mode Activation Success..."

* * *

Peridot panted, smacking a soldier aside as she stood, aiming her cannon at another and blasting him away.

"You alright over there?" Blue Diamond jumped back, blasting a soldier to nothing in front of her.

"I'll manage!" Peridot called back, slamming her foot into a gems chest.

Before she could pull her foot back, however, the soldier grabbed her foot, grinning.

Peridot growled, reaching to her leg and pressing a button on it, making it fire off into the soldier's chest, rocketing him back through the ranks of soldiers.

As the soldiers looked from the line made in their ranks back to Peridot, a few beeps were heard, before the foot exploded, throwing soldier's into the air!

"... Whoa..." Garnet fixed her glasses, and Peridot smirked.

"I made a few adjustments to my armor in my time here." Her foot could be seen where her boot once was.

"Uh... Aren't you supposed to be like... Short under there?" Blue Diamond asked, karate chopping a soldier on the top of their head and crushing their skull.

"It's a long story." Peridot said, her visor cracked.

* * *

"I am 120% done!" Emerald yelled, slashing into his water clone.

His water clone fizzled, the energy blade making the water evaporate.

"Ha! Suck it jabroni!" Emerald grinned in his clones blank face is it evaporated away.

He panted, falling to his knees.

"Somebody call Space Muhammad Ali... And tell him there's a new Greatest in town... Heheh... Who was that joke even for?" He said between pants, before his eyes widened at the sound of water shifting.

He looked up, seeing the cloud of water vapor forming several new, shorter Emeralds.

"..." Emerald wore an expression that said 'done with this'.

"Well screw me I guess." He sighed, stumbling to his feet.

* * *

Amazonite slammed one club down on her clone, smashing it to a puddle below her.

"Ha!" Amazonite said triumphantly, grinning at the puddle.

That was until a flurry of arms holding clubs came from the puddle, swinging at her and making her jump back away from them.

The water Amazonite reformed slowly, her clubs twirling.

Amazonite's expression resembled Emerald's.

* * *

"I really, really hate fighting me!" Pearl slashed forward, her water clone blocking her blade and sliding back as dust was blown away from them.

Amethyst shot by, rolling through the water clone and making it explode into the air!

As Amethyst rolled, a water Amethyst spun after her, spinning at her as she narrowly dodged.

The water droplets from Pearl's clone formed blades in the air, swinging rapidly at her as she blocked and dodged each attack.

"Is that all you've got?" She jumped back, watching the water clone reform.

It held two blades.

"... I had to ask..." Pearl pulled another blade from her gem.

* * *

Eclipse rocketed back across the Kindergarten, shooting blasts from his right palm at Hematite, who shot by them at lightning speed, slashing through and by them.

"Damn it damn it damn it!" Eclipse held up his dagger just in time, a clang ringing throughout the Kindergarten as they collided.

"You should have stayed home, Fusion." Hematite stared into Eclipse's eyes, Eclipse beginning to sweat.

"You're out of your league here."

Eclipse growled, pulling back his head and throwing it forward at Hematite's.

Their heads collided, and after a moment, Eclipse jumped back, grabbing his skull.

"How on earth..?!" He looked up at Hematite, who was gone.

"Where did he-"

"Above you, idiot!"

Eclipse looked up, eyes widening in horror as he saw Hematite coming down, holding Death God Slayer over his head.

"No wait!-"

Hematite slashed him down the middle, stopping and crouching behind him as he fell to two parts, each morphing into two smaller Gems.

Moonstone and Sunstone groaned, laying on top of one another, holding their heads.

"Now it's time I put you kids to bed." Hematite sheathed Death God Slayer behind his back, pulling another one of his blades free.

Moonstone quickly stared into his eyes with his own red eyes.

"..."

"Uh... Moonstone... Shouldn't he be..."

"I... I can't get into his mind!"

Hematite grinned, picking Moonstone up by the collar of his shirt. "One of the perks of being blind. The Gateway to your soul is closed."

"Which means no mind control for you."

Hematite dropped Moonstone, kicking him square in the chest and throwing him back through the air, hitting the ground and skidding.

"Not that you could control me anyway. My mind is a steel trap." Hematite stood over the two.

Sunstone stood between Hematite and the downed Moonstone, shaking.

Hematite's eyes narrowed for a moment, sensing their fear.

His expression darkened, and he leaned down to be eye level with Sunstone.

"Now turn around. And run."

Sunstone nodded quickly, spinning around and grabbing Moonstone, teleporting away in an instant.

"Well... That was disappointingly easy. Perhaps if Howlite hadn't already beaten the tar out of him, things would have been more interesting..."

Hematite looked around the battlefield, sheathing his blade. Most of the soldiers and Cluster Prototypes were centered around Blue Diamond, Garnet, Steven, and Peridot.

Which meant he had nothing to do.

He sheathed his blade, sitting down for a moment.

"Well... I'm not usually one for resting but..." Hematite glanced up at the ship in the sky, barely there as more and more holes were punched in the walls, slashes of black breaking through the ship walls and floor.

"Everything is just so tiring nowadays." He glanced to the battlefield, watching them all fight there clones.

He could hear the clangs of their weapons. He could feel the vibrations of their movements.

He picked one out, and he stood, shaking his head in disappointment.

"I guess I should find something to do."

* * *

Howlite jumped forward, running at Lapis, who shot into the air, hands of muddy water coming from the ground and grabbing at Howlite, only to be frozen and shattered.

Howlite jumped, flipping in air and bringing one leg down at Lapis, who brought up both arms, blocking his calf.

She felt a wave of cold run across her, as if ice was creeping at shocking speeds across her body.

In an instant, her wings stopped flapping, and she looked back in shock to see them frozen in place.

She looked back at Howlite, who grinned and waved at her, kicking off of her as she fell.

Howlite flew high into the air from the force of the kick, Lapis smashing into the ground and creating a crater as he flipped in air, shooting back down at Lapis, who was pulling herself from the mud.

She looked up, realizing Howlite was about to slam down on her.

She yelped in fear, bringing her arms up, a dome of water coming over her from the mud.

Howlite's eyes widened, the water freezing before he reached it, cracks running through it as he slammed into it, back flipping off of it before landing on his feet.

"Damn it... I keep hitting her, but that sickening feeling just gets worse..." Howlite watched as the dome around Lapis collapsed.

"Guilt's a bitch..."

* * *

Pearl jumped back from her clone, panting as she struggled to hold up her weapons.

"This is ridiculous!" She complained, panting as she awaited the next attack.

"Well, I'm disappointed."

Pearl glanced over at Hematite, who sat on a boulder to her left, watching.

"What are you- why aren't you helping?!" Pearl demanded to know, her water clone standing and waiting.

Hematite shook his head, chuckling. "I'm not gonna help you! You've gotta help yourself!"

"What?! I can't fight myself!"

"Not with that attitude."

"Are you serious?!"

"Have you ever seen me joke?"

"Eugh..." Pearl groaned, shaking her head and looking back to the clone.

"Some rival you are..."

"If you can't defeat yourself, you're not worthy of being my rival."

"But-"

"But hey, if you really need me to step in, then maybe I was wrong. Maybe you _are_ just some pearl."

Pearl's grip on her weapons tightened, and Hematite smirked.

"... Just some pearl, huh..?"

In an instant, Pearl shot forward, slashing through her clone.

The clone fell to two puddles, before both reformed to two Pearls.

Pearl's gem glowed, and a holo-Pearl appeared.

"I'm going to prove it... Once and for all!"

The Pearl's collided, and Hematite watched, mildly amused.

They disappeared and reappeared, water slashing through the air as they were cut apart.

The two clones were kicked into one place, backs hitting each other as Pearl and her holo-self came from the sides, slicing past the two.

The puddles fell into one, ceasing movement.

"How's that for just a pearl?!" Pearl looked angrily to Hematite, who clapped a few times.

"Good. I was wrong. Looks like there is a first time for everything." Hematite jumped from his boulder, landing before Pearl.

As he did, his eyes narrowed.

In an instant, he'd drawn Death God Slayer, stabbing into the water as the clone silently reformed, pulling back its blade to stab Pearl.

"Sneak attacks are cowardly..." He told the clone, Pearl watching with surprise as it seeped back into the ground.

"Uh... Thanks?" Pearl arched a brow at Hematite as he solemnly sheathed his blade in his cloak.

"I have deemed water cowardly..." Hematite said, and Pearl looked slightly confused.

"Uh... Mmmkay."

* * *

"I HATE EVERYONE ELSE BUT ME!"

Emerald ran from the horde of tiny Emerald's chasing him, his weapon gone as sweat and cuts covered him.

Amazonite suddenly landed behind him, the force of her landing knocking the tiny Emerald's into the air.

She swung violently, smashing the water clones away as fast as she could.

"Pick on someone your own size..." Amazonite said, watching as the water seeped back into the ground.

"Heh... Thanks Amazonite." Emerald laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his head.

"I was just a... Just kidding about the hating everyone thi-"

Amazonite pushed Emerald behind her, watching as her water clone rushed towards them.

That was until Amethyst rolled through it, punching a hole in the clone's chest and making it explode across the air in water.

Amethyst kept rolled, her water clone behind her.

As Amethyst rolled by them, Amazonite swung down, smashing her clone.

Amethyst panted as she stopped, hunching over and gagging, as if the effort was going to make her throw up.

"I was... Spinning away from that thing... For so long..." She said, and Amazonite patted her on the back.

"Huh..." Emerald watched as the water seeped into the ground. "That's strange, they should be reforming..."

"I think Lapis might need to focus." Amazonite pointed to the white and blue figures colliding in the sky.

* * *

"You think you can stop me with these?!" Howlite shot by clone after clone of himself, chomping through them and absorbing the energy they lived on.

Howlite reached Lapis once again, pulling back one fist to punch her again, only for it to be caught.

Lapis pulled back her free hand, wing swirling around it and making it look like a drill.

"... Oh balls." Howlite's eyes widened, and Lapis grinned, her arm shooting forward, water spinning.

Howlite roared with pain, blood flying through the air.

Lapis dropped Howlite, watching as he plummeted to the ground, slamming into it and creating a mud crater.

She flapped down, landing before the crater Howlite lay in, holding his wound and groaning in pain.

"Well, would you look at that. You're really pathetic, you know that?" Lapis grinned at Howlite, who said nothing.

"... Aren't you going to say something?" Howlite didn't respond.

Lapis began to look worried. "Howlite?"

She slide down into the crater, reaching out to Howlite before her arm stopped, shaking slightly.

Her wing spiraled up at she prepared to attack, but her wing too stopped, shaking.

"What are you doing?!"

"I... I can't let you keep doing this!"

"Are you kidding me?! For this _freak_ of all people?!"

"I won't let you keep hurting my friends!"

"Have you forgotten what they did to you?! What this one did to you?!"

"He apologized!"

"Are you even hearing what you're saying right now?! Sorry's don't always cut it!"

"You're right. Just sorry's don't cut it. But Howlite's done more than that, and you know that."

"What about the rest of them?! What have they done to help you?! When have they even said sorry?"

"..."

"Exactly, so just let me-"

Lapis was cut off, her own fist ramming through her gut.

"Shut... Up..." Lapis smiled lightly, blood dripping from her mouth.

"They've done a lot more for me than you ever have..."

"Who... Who do you think you are..?!"

"I'm..." Lapis coughed into her hand, blood seeping through her fingers.

"I'm Lapis Lazuli..!" She said, looking up. Malachite stared down at her. A mirror stared down at her.

"And I'm not going to hold onto you anymore!"

They faded away, and Lapis smiled, falling forward.

She was caught, Howlite panting as blood seeped from his mouth, his eyes closed.

"Eugh... That was... Stupid of me..." Howlite stood slowly, wincing as his blood dripped from the hole drilled in his abdomen.

"Leaving myself open... To save someone else..." Howlite's vision faded in and out, and he watched the Gems rush towards him as he carried an unconscious Lapis in his arms.

"Oh how the mighty have-" Howlite broke into a fit of coughing, turning his head away from Lapis as he did so.

"Fallen..." Howlite stumbled. The dirt never looked so soft. Retreating to his gem never sounded so nice...

The others got closer and closer, their calls unheard.

"I'm... An idiot..." Howlite fell forward, Holding Lapis up from the ground as he hit the dirt first, breaking her fall.

His eyes closed, but he refused to let go of his physical form just yet.

"Howlite, are you okay?!" Emerald asked, crouching next to him.

Howlite grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, making him jump.

"Get the kid." Howlite said through gritting teeth.

Emerald nodded quickly, looking up to the others, who were about to disperse through the Kindergarten.

That was, of course, until the sky lit up...

* * *

Peridot blasted away another soldier, Steven sitting atop Lion, bashing away a soldier with his shield.

"They just never stop!" Peridot said, taking aim again.

Before she fired, however, she felt a sort of mental shock wave, and she grabbed her head with one hand, wincing.

"Peridot!" Garnet kicked the soldier into the distance. "Get your head in the ga-"

Before Garnet could finish, an explosion lit up the sky, and all soldiers and Crystal Gems looked up at once, all of their hearts skipping a beat in sync.

Peridot was speechless, eyes wide in horror.

The ship rained in golden fire, chunks of it falling from the sky down towards them.

Blue Diamond blasted away the chunks coming towards them, looking at the frozen gems around her.

"C-come on guys, what's the deal..?" Worry had even found its way into her voice.

"No..." Garnet shook her head, wide eyes visible through her shades.

Peridot's eyes were wide in horror, and as she fell to her knees, she could hear Steven beginning to cry behind her.

The soldiers stopped, as if a moment of silence was necessary.

Or maybe because of Bloodstone's loss.

But the first one is nicer to believe.

 _So that's it then..._ Garnet shook. _Matrix failed..._

Peridot slammed her fist on the ground, eyes clamped shut. "Damn it, Matrix... You couldn't just listen to me..?!"

Blue Diamond placed a hand on her shoulder, head down.

* * *

Howlite stared at the sky, eyes wide in shock as he lay in the dirt. _I... I can't believe it... I don't know why this is so hard to take... I... I actually... Believed in that idiot..?_

Hematite had gone silent, along with Amazonite and Amethyst. They just stared into the sky, shocked into silence.

 _I... I never apologized..._ Was Pearl's first thought, and tears blurred her vision.

"So uh..." Emerald laughed nervously, sweat running down the side of his head. "How do you think he got out of that one..?" He looked around, waiting for someone to share his false hope.

They all just looked down, shaking their heads and closing their eyes. A few tears hit the ground, adding to the mud.

But as everyone's heads were down, one began to shake.

He rose to his feet, stumbling slowly to the nearest peak over the pile of smoldering rubble that used to be Bloodstone's - or really Yellow Diamond's - ship.

Blood dripped to the ground, and he stumbled, but he forced himself forward.

Howlite panted, coughing blood into his hand before shaking his head.

He panted, standing tall over the rubble. _Lose My Life_ by _Papercut Massacre_ began playing in the background.

"MATRIX!"

He yelled into the rubble, making everyone look in his direction.

"MATRIX! GET THE HELL UP!"

Everyone's hands clenched into fists as he yelled into the rubble. "YA HEAR ME?! I KNOW YOU WOULDN'T DIE LIKE THAT! I KNOW THAT'S NOT LIKE YOU!"

Silence.

"MATRIX!"

Silence.

"DON'T YOU F#CKING IGNORE ME!"

S_i_l_e_n_c_e.

"YOU HAVE TO GET UP, DAMN IT!" Howlite's hands clenched into fists. "BECAUSE AS MUCH AS I HATE TO ADMIT IT, WE NEED YOU HERE!"

 _S_i_l_e_n_c_e._

"YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?! WE'VE GOT A WAR TO FIGHT!" Howlite's voice faltered.

 ** _S_i_l_e_n_c_e._**

"WE NEED YOU HERE, DAMN IT! THIS IS NO TIME TO GIVE UP!"

 ** _Silence..._**

"COME ON!" Howlite yelled into the rubble. "COME OUT OF THERE WITH THAT STUPID GRIN ON YOUR FACE, DAMN IT!"

 ** _..._**

"You..." Howlite's hands clenched into tight fists, his finger nails piercing his skin and letting blood drip from his palms to the ground. "You can't be..."

 _"H_a... H_a_h_a_h_a..."  
_

It was faint, but Howlite heard laughter.

And it didn't belong to Matrix.

In an instant, all of the soldiers were dropping to their knees, energy in the color of whatever Gem they had being sucked from them and rising into the air, spiraling down into one point in the rubble.

The soldier's screamed, fading to their gems. But it didn't stop taking energy. Their gems lost their luster, the light in them disappearing.

The Crystal Gems watched in horror, staring at the dying Gem soldiers.

But Howlite just stared at where their energy was going, eyes wide in horror, pupils shrunk.

A twisted, disfigured and bloodied figure rose from the rubble, energy filtering into the nearly shattered gem on its forehead.

It's body healed, all of the cracks in it's gem sealing, taking the form of a reaper.

"Ha..." It's dry voice echoed throughout the died silent kindergarten. Even the Gem Cluster's had stopped their groaned, staring at this monstrosity with their bleak, lifeless eyes.

It coughed once or twice, trying to get the blood out of its throat.

"Ahahaha..." Bloodstone grinned with crazy full in his eyes, his scythe appearing in hand, larger than usual, curved with a gnarled blade.

His cloak was gone, showing his skin, the blood now running in symmetrical lines across it instead of in splatters. It ran from his eyes and was seen on each of his sharp teeth.

His hair shifted from the constant flow of energy coming from him, and the black aura that exploded around him seemed to have soldiers souls in it, screaming and pleading for help.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Howlite stared at that creature in horror, paralyzed.

"An adorable speech, Howlite. Really. So inspirational." Bloodstone grinned sadistically, resting his scythe on his shoulder. "Well, maybe inspirational isn't the right word..."

Howlite's eyes narrowed, and he was visibly shaking.

"Desperate? Yes, that fits quite well." Bloodstone grinned at Howlite, eyes only half open and glowing red and black.

"This... This can't be..." Howlite shook his head. "This... This is just a bad dream!"

"Yes, that's true." Bloodstone's grin spread, his eyes widening as black bat wings spread from his back, and he shot off the ground at Howlite, pulling back one fist.

"AND YOU'RE NEVER WAKING UP, YOU FILTHY DO-"

In an instant, Bloodstone was exploding into the ground, Howlite falling back onto his bottom as Garnet stood before him, glaring down at Bloodstone.

"Bloodstone!" She called down to him, and he grunted with displeasure as he shook dirt off, as if the gauntlet to the face had done nothing.

"What?" He called up to her, only mildly irritated.

"I've seen the future here! I know what you do to all of my friends, my family!" Bloodstone rolled his eyes as Garnet spoke, clearly not caring.

"So I'm going to stop you! Right here, right now!" She yelled, and Bloodstone looked back at her, his grin returning.

"Oho?" His tongue ran across his jagged teeth.

"So now I'm telling you, Reaper," Garnet pointed to herself with her thumb.

 **"YOU AND ME!"**

* * *

 **...  
**

 **And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what a cliff hanger looks like. As if I haven't already shown you hundreds of those.**

 **Set him straight, Square Mom!**

 **Honestly, it feels like I'm just watching at this point...**

 **So I did another 'Sh!t suddenly hit the fan' thing.**

 **And I'm not sorry.**

 **So get ready for Phase 3, ladies and gentlemen!**

 **So please, Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **I am so ready...**

 **XWolf26, out**


	51. Chapter 50: Phase 3 (Part 1)

**Thanks go to The Weeping Prophet, Cfintimidator, , Guest, Dante Watterson, Kagehime-sama53, Demo-misshu junketsu Duke, SpectorChris, ShadowFighter2, and Lemon Fresh.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"Garnet... Do you really think you can beat him alone?" Howlite said, standing slowly.

"I have to." Garnet said, gauntlets clenching into fists.

"But wouldn't it be better if we worked toge-"

"Get to Steven, get healed, and get ready for the fight of your life." Garnet interrupted. "We're pulling out all of the stops this time. No one else..."

Howlite noticed Garnet was shaking.

"..." Howlite remained silent for a moment, before smirking lightly. "Can do."

He placed a hand on Garnet's shoulder. "Give 'em hell, you two." He then turned around, moving quickly down the peak.

Garnet smiled to herself, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.

"... I'm ready."

 **Chapter 50: Phase 3 (Part 1)  
**

 **Darkness (Part 2)**

 _"Actually, I've got a better question."  
_

* * *

Bloodstone flapped up to the peak, standing across from Garnet. "Ready to throw your life away already, hm?"

"What? Am I supposed to be afraid of you now because you've got a pair of wings from Earths closest thing to flying rats?" Garnet smirked, and Bloodstone's eyes narrowed.

"... Oh, I'm going to enjoy this."

Bloodstone shot off the ground at Garnet, pulling his scythe back and swinging at Garnet.

With a clang, the blade was caught in her gauntlet.

"What?! How did you..?!" Bloodstone snarled at Garnet, who adjusted her shades.

"It's a secret." She grinned.

Bloodstone snarled, pulling back his fist and throwing it, only for it to be ducked under, Garnet coming up from below him and slamming one fist into his chin, throwing him into the air.

Garnet shot up after him, pulling back one fist and throwing it forward, only for it to be blocked as Bloodstone made an X shape with his arms.

Bloodstone flapped back from Garnet, pulling back his scythe and slashing at her, blades of black rocketing from his scythe at lightning speeds.

Garnet moved around them just as quickly, as if she had seen them all coming, knowing exactly where each of them were going.

Garnet yanked back one hand, throwing it forward as it stretched, grabbing Bloodstone by the face!

Garnet yanked Bloodstone towards her at shocking speeds, letting go of him and pulling back her free fist, throwing all of her weight in this one punch into Bloodstone's face, sending him rocketing into the sky.

"... Hmph." Garnet cracked her knuckles through her gauntlets, cracking her neck as she did so.

The clouds exploded away from the sky, and Bloodstone's roar of anger could be heard as he shot down towards Garnet, pulling back his scythe.

"MY RETURN WILL NOT BE DERAILED BY SOME FILTHY FUSIO-"

Garnet shot up, ramming her knee into his chest, making him hunch over, coughing blood through the air.

She grabbed him by the wings, spinning around and throwing him at shocking speeds towards the ground.

The ground exploded into the air, creating a gigantic crater that Garnet landed in front of, crossing her arms and waiting.

Angered pants could be heard as Bloodstone walked from the crater, glaring at Garnet with crazy swimming in his eyes.

"That was for Jasper, just so you know." Garnet said, that smirk crossing her face again.

But besides all of that, she was sweating.

"I am not playing this game..." Bloodstone's hands clenched into fists.

"I am done with you Crystal Traitors!" Bloodstone shot off the ground at Garnet, pulling back one fist and slamming it into her face, making her slide back across the ground, pushing her head back.

"... Ow." The stoic gem smirked at Bloodstone, grabbing him by the wrist.

Bloodstone growled, pulling back his scythe and swinging at Garnet, only for the scythe to be caught as well.

Bloodstone snarled at Garnet, before taking a deep breath.

"Okay, warm up over."

In an instant, black energy was exploding around the two, the ground they stood on indenting to a crater, the screaming souls of soldier's swirling around them.

Garnet glared at Bloodstone, gritting her teeth as Bloodstone grinned, her hair being pushed back by the energy.

Garnet took a deep breath, as if she was focusing.

 _If I'm going to beat him, I'll have to go all out..._

In an instant, Garnet's left hand began to grow hotter, gauntlet becoming a fire red as Bloodstone's eyes widened.

He could feel his skin burning, while he watched his scythe begin to freeze, Garnet's right gauntlet becoming an ice blue.

Bloodstone sucked air into his lungs, souls from his aura being sucked into his mouth with it.

Garnet instantly let go, shooting back as he fired a wave of black energy from his mouth at her, making her throw up her arms in defense.

Garnet was thrown back through the air, wincing under her cracked shades as Bloodstone shot from the dust plume before her, pulling back his fist.

She caught his fist, ice forming over Bloodstone's hand and creeping up his arm.

Bloodstone pulled back his free fist, throwing it forward into Garnet's face, throwing her back through the air and towards the ground, the ice fading from his other hand as she let go.

Garnet spun, landing on her feet, knees bending as Bloodstone shot down after her.

Garnet shot up, pulling back one fist and slamming it into Bloodstone's face, Bloodstone returning the favor. This cycle of face punching continued throughout the sky, shock waves blowing away the smoke swirling into the sky from the burnt control room and the ashes of the ship.

But the smell of the dead would never leave.

Garnet grabbed Bloodstone by the face with one burning gauntlet, pulling back her other and ramming it into his abdomen, throwing him down to the earth, which exploded under him.

Garnet came down towards him, pulling back both fists.

Bloodstone stood, looking up at her and growling, eyes narrowed.

He reached up, catching her fists as they came down, the ground cracking under him as he grit his teeth.

Flames shot across the left from where they stood, and ice to the right.

The two glared at one another, hatred visible through Garnet's shades.

Bloodstone grinned. "So, fusion, how long until this wheres out? Hours? Minutes?" The burning and the freezing no longer crept up Bloodstone's arms, a black aura encasing them to prevent it.

"As long as it takes." Garnet said, glaring into Bloodstone's crazed eyes.

"I remember a gem who thought they wouldn't run out of energy." Bloodstone's grin was from ear to ear, eyes wide.

"They're in neat orange shards somewhere in those smoldering ashes now."

Garnet's teeth grit, and the fires of her right hand glowed brighter.

"You're going to pay." She told him, hate in her voice.

Bloodstone laughed. "And who's gonna make me?"

* * *

Connie stared at 107 with shock in her eyes, taking note of the green glow he gave off. His gem glowed as well, and energy tendrils struck out from his back, connected to wherever he had gotten this power from in the first place.

"Connie, I need you to do something for me." 107 said, staring down the fusion before him.

"W-what's that?" Connie tried to shake off her shock.

"I need you to get to the control room of this ship and stop the ones controlling the ship. Can you handle that?" 107 glanced at Connie out of the corner of his eye.

"W-wait, you're going to try to fight this guy alone?" Connie said, worry appearing in her voice.

"..." 107 was slightly surprised by this show of worry, they had only met mere hours ago, after all.

107 closed his eyes, smiling lightly before reopening them. "I can handle Spinel."

"Now, the Control Room should be down this hallway, down the left, at the end of that hallway..." 107's eyes lit up with data codes, as if he was looking through the ship.

Connie nodded, turning around and beginning to run down the hallway.

She stopped, looking over her shoulder at 107. "Hey, 107, have we grown on you yet?"

"..." 107 sighed. "Only you, child."

"It's a start." Connie smiled, spinning back around and continuing her run down the hallway.

Spinel began to laugh, and 107 glanced up at him. "And what is so comical, giant?" He questioned blankly.

"These humans will weigh you down, you know." Spinel said.

"Yes, I suppose enough humans would succeed in forcing me down, if all of their weight was on me."

"Quit the robot act, emerald!"

"I already told you." 107's eyes narrowed, and green energy exploded out around him.

"I am not emerald. I am 107."

* * *

Garnet and Bloodstone slammed into one another, injectors falling as shock waves rocked the Kindergarten.

Garnet pulled back one fist, ramming it into Bloodstone's face and throwing him down towards the earth, catching himself in mid air.

Garnet shot down after him, pulling back one flaming fist and throwing it at Bloodstone, who caught it in one palm, a hissing being heard as smoke rose from his palm.

Bloodstone stared coldly at Garnet, life leaving his eyes for a moment as they stood there.

That was, until he shot forward, ramming one fist into her abdomen, making her hunch over and cough blood into the air.

Garnet grit her teeth, grabbing Bloodstone by the wings, stopping them from flapping and letting them both fall to the ground, holding him as if they were in some sort of _Pokemon_ _seismic toss._

"Let go of me you damn dirty!-"

The ground exploded beneath them as they both collided with it, dust exploding into the air, forcing all others to raise one hand to block the dust from their eyes.

"G's going hard..." Amethyst said, eyes wide as they watched from the sidelines.

"Do you... Do you think we should do something?" Amethyst glanced over at Pearl.

"No, Garnet wouldn't want us interfering... She's doing all of this to make sure no one else gets hurt..." Pearl said, though worry was clear in her voice.

"Man, if we lose Garnet... I don't know..." Amethyst almost muttered, and Pearl's eyes widened.

"Amethyst! Don't say that!" She said, looking to her with surprise. "Have faith in Garnet! If there's one person who could defeat Bloodstone-"

"There isn't!" Amethyst interrupted. "Don't you get it?! We! Can't! Win!" Amethyst clamped her eyes shut, looking down for a moment.

"Everyone! Everyone who stands up to him, who really gives it there all..." Amethyst's hands clenched into fists.

"Amethyst, I suppose it makes since that you don't know how war is but... We're going to lose people... We can't just-"

"But we're not just losing people, are we?!" Amethyst interrupted. "And this isn't war! We're fighting _one_ guy! Armies are no problem compared to this freak!"

"Anyone who gets in his way ends up dead or worse! Jasper, Tiger, Zeolite, Matrix, all dead! All strong people who outlived this _war_ you keep talking about! But this?! This is hell on earth, that's what this is! And right now, Garnet's trying to fight the Devil!"

Pearl went silent, watching as tears began to stream down Amethyst's face, feeling her own eyes begin to get watery.

"And what's happens to those of us who don't end up dead? Do we get crippled like Howlite? Or just lose the ones we love the most, like Hematite and Peridot?!"

Pearl looked down, eyes narrowing.

"... You're right." Pearl looked up, smirking at Amethyst. "But if I know you, you don't wanna sit here and take it, do you?" Pearl offered her hand to Amethyst, who looked at it, as if thinking.

"... Alright P..." Amethyst took Pearl's hand. "Thanks for letting me get all of that out..."

"No problem." Pearl smiled.

"Now," Amethyst smirked. "Lets make this punk full'a arrows."

* * *

"How long do you think she can hold out?" Hematite asked, staring at the two forces colliding in the sky.

Everyone had split up to different parts of the Kindergarten, so that they'd never be too far away from the fight if something happened to Garnet.

They would _not_ lose another.

"I don 't know... I wouldn't give it too much more time." Howlite seemed to have been healed.

"She's burning through her energy so fast... Using future vision to predict his moves while using Ruby and Sapphire's strengths to the maximum..." Hematite sighed.

"I fear I'll have to step in soon..." He said, and Howlite glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

"I would think you'd want that bastard's head on a silver platter more than a lot of us." He arched a brow at him.

"I've been thinking a lot lately... I've known Bloodstone for a long time, Howlite... I've seen people in his life come and go. I know why he's like this..."

Howlite listened intently, glancing at Hematite out of the corner of his eye.

"As I'm sure you would know, everyone has a reason to be a monster. Bloodstone's afraid, Howlite. He's terrified..."

"I picked up on that, yeah..."

 _"S-stay away from me! You freak!"_

"If I had to guess, when you've been around as long as he has, The thought of... Not being around is pretty scary." Hematite watched Bloodstone roar with anger, slashing at Garnet with black scythe blades as she nimbly dodged.

"Why are you telling me this?" Howlite continued to look at Hematite out of the corner of his eye.

"There were times, long, long ago, when I would have called Bloodstone a friend. There were times when me, Zeolite, him, and... Eh, I guess I'm just rambling." Hematite shook his head.

"It's funny. You're older than me, yet I feel like the old man here..." Hematite shook his head. "I dunno, Earth has a funny way of turning your life upside-down."

"Ain't that the truth..." Howlite crossed his arms, sighing.

* * *

"Things are looking pretty bad..." Emerald looked off to the rubble.

Peridot looked down, hands clenching into fists.

"Your usually more willing to whine with me..." Emerald glanced at her. "You uh... You okay?"

"..." Peridot remained silent for a moment. "... No."

Emerald flinched slightly at her answer. He had hoped she just wouldn't respond. He knew she wasn't alright, but he didn't want it to be confirmed...

"O-oh... Well uh... There there..?"

Peridot's eyes widened at Emerald's words.

 _"Hm... Well I suppose I wouldn't know anything about that. But... Um... There there..?"_

She shook for a moment, and Emerald reached out to her. "Uh... Peridot..?"

She looked to Emerald, grabbing him by the wrist and beginning to walk towards the fight, much to his surprise.

"H-hey! What are you doing?!" Emerald questioned, surprised. Peridot looked back at Emerald, a fury previously unseen in her eyes.

"We're helping."

* * *

Steven sat next to Lapis, who was unconscious, as he watched Bloodstone and Garnet collide.

"Come on Lapis... Really not the best time for you to be unconscious. Your water clones would probably be pretty helpful right now..." Steven waited anxiously, watching Lapis's slow breathing.

He looked up once more at the fight going on.

 _Garnet..._

* * *

Bloodstone caught punch after punch, barely able to duck and dodge around all of them.

Garnet moved quickly, the strain of using her future vision and keeping up the pace with Bloodstone visible on her face, though she kept up the fight as if she wasn't tired at all.

Bloodstone jumped back, firing a wave of black at Garnet, who moved at lightning speed, almost like Sapphire, ramming one fist into his stomach after shooting by the side of the wave.

She threw Bloodstone into the air, watching as he caught himself, laughing all the way.

"I can see you're tiring, fusion." He shook his head. "How long do you honestly think you can keep this up?"

In an instant, Bloodstone was holding up one hand, blocking a large green beam.

"Alright, Peridot, you want to start t-" Bloodstone turned to face where the beam had came from, but stopped mid sentence, his eyebrows rising in surprise.

There a new gem stood, skin a misty green. They had Peridot's triangular hair, right arm a cannon and left arm an energy blade.

Their clothing resembled Peridot's, and on their face was a look of determination.

"... Pffft." Bloodstone began to snicker.

"Oh no, two nerds fused to fight me! I'm shaking!" Bloodstone laughed, Garnet looking to the new fusion with concern, as if to say "Get out of here!"

"What's your name, anyway?" Bloodstone wiped a tear from laughing from his eye.

"Prehnite."

"Well aren't you a scary one." Bloodstone closed his eyes for a moment. "But all mockery aside..." His eyes opened, anger appearing in them.

"You two have been quite the problem for me. What with getting blasted by Pink's cannons and the destruction of the Control Room... One could say that I am... What are the words I'm looking for?" Bloodstone's teeth grit, hands clenching into fists.

"Ah, yes. I remember now."

"Absolutely livid."

Bloodstone shot forward at the fusion, who shot forward at him as well, slamming their cannon into his chest as it charged a bright green beam.

"Funny, I was just feeling the same thing..." Prehnite stared into Bloodstone's eyes before the beam fired, throwing him violently back through the air, smashing through a cliff face.

There was silence for only a moment before that sickly laughter followed.

"Is that all you've got? I'm disappointed! I thought you'd be more determined to kill me, but maybe now that you have nothing to lose-"

Bloodstone jumped back, arrows pelting where he once stood.

"You really do talk a lot, don't you?" Opal stood on an opposite peak, pulling back another arrow on her string.

* * *

"Woop, party's starting." Howlite was about to shoot off towards the fight, before glancing over at Hematite. "You coming?"

"I'll catch up with you." Hematite said blankly.

"... Are uh... Are you okay, Hematite?" The words certainly sounded strange from Howlite of all people.

"I'll survive."

"... Right." Howlite shot off the ground towards the fight.

Hematite stood there for a moment, taking a deep breath.

A bubble appeared in his hand, showing white shards.

He slid down the hill, reaching a large boxed off area of the Kindergarten, which had holes that resembled Hematite to an exact.

He walked through the box, jumping over the last wall and into another one, which had holes that resembled Zeolite. The holes were taller, though, looking much stronger than one specific hole, which Hematite stood in front of.

"Do you remember this place, Zeolite?"

* * *

Bloodstone jumped across the distance between the two peaks, pulling back his scythe as he reached Opal.

In a white flash, his scythe was caught, Howlite stopping it in mid air as he pulling back one leg, aiming to slam it into Bloodstone's chest and send him flying backwards.

Bloodstone let go of the scythe, pulling back one palm and firing a wave of energy at Howlite as he jumped back, Howlite sucking it up instantly.

Garnet came from above Bloodstone, pulling back one fist and throwing it down at him, Bloodstone stopping it in his palm.

Prehnite shot forward, slashing at Bloodstone, who let go of Garnet to jump back.

Garnet landed on her feet, looking back at the others as Bloodstone waited.

"What are you all doing?! Get out of here!" She said. "I can handle this! I have to handle this!"

"What, you think you're the only one who wants a shot at him?" Amazonite said, jumping from a higher peak to the ground they all dropped to.

"We've all got scores to settle, three eyes." Howlite smirked, crossing his arms.

"And if you think we'll let you become one of them," Opal said.

"You're dead wrong." Prehnite finished.

* * *

"Never took you for the slacker, Hematite."

Hematite didn't bother looking over his shoulder at Blue Diamond, who sat next to him.

"You should be out there, Blue Diamond. They need you to fight Bloodstone. You're the strongest one of us right now." Hematite didn't look from Zeolite's bubble.

"Look, Hematite. I know how you feel right now. It's the same feeling I get when I think of what will have to happen after this..." Blue Diamond looked down.

"The death of a family is quite the sad thing, wouldn't you say?" Hematite arched a brow at her.

"Quite..." Blue Diamond nodded.

"But I can't let this guilt eat at me much longer... Bloodstone's not family anymore." Hematite stood slowly, stretching.

"Wish I could say the same about... Well, you know. I won't burden you with my problems." Blue Diamond stood as well, and Hematite reached for his blades.

"At least you've still got Steven. I suggest you keep it that way. Don't let your loved ones slip through your fingers, at least not the ones you don't have to lose." On that note, Hematite jumped away, leaving Blue Diamond to stand there in the dust, sighing.

"Oh Rose..."

* * *

"Oh no, now they've all banded together to fight me! The power of friendship is all too strong!" Bloodstone laughed hysterically, throwing his head back.

"Honestly, do any of you honestly think that you'll win? You think that just because you're the 'good guys', just because you have to 'avenge' your 'friends', that you'll win? Happy endings aren't real, you know."

"Now, how about I stop playing?" Bloodstone floated into the air, grinning from ear to ear as he lifted one hand above his head, energy charging into a ball above his palm.

He laughed hysterically as the ball grew and grew and grew, darkness overtaking the light of the sky.

"Now die, you pathetic ants!"

In a flash, Bloodstone's eyes were wide, his hand falling towards the earth.

Hematite spun to a stop, landing in a crouched position and holding his blades out to his left as the ball fell down towards Bloodstone, who snarled, holding up his other hand to stop it from rushing him, being pushed slowly towards the earth.

He grit his teeth, using the stump of his other hand to help slow down the weight of the ball.

Hematite watched blankly as the ball hit the ground, an explosion rocking the earth and lighting up the sky, blowing all of them back, forcing them to throw up arms to cover their eyes.

But Hematite refused to budge. His hair was blown back from the force of the explosion, his expression blank as he stared at the crater forming.

"... Ah, Hematite. I was almost hoping you'd decided to run off." Bloodstone floated from the crater, a scythe appearing in hand as he prepared to strike.

"Now, as I was saying..."

 **"Shall we get to the real fight?"**

* * *

 **Here we go. Real fights a'startin', and it seems like I'm always saying that. Truth be told, though I honestly have no idea why, I'm starting to have trouble writing Bloodstone beating people. I just don't know why. I just can't seem to write him just beating people into the dirt.  
**

 **But I'm going to have to for this next chapter.**

 **huehueheuheuhehuehueuheuhuehuehue...  
**

 **Garnet's super gauntlets were based off of Sonson-Sensei's comic 'Crystal Peridot' on Deviantart.**

 **Please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	52. Chapter 51: Phase 3 (Part 2)

**Thanks go to Guest, Kagehime-sama53, Guest, Guest, Guest, Demo-misshu jinketsu Duke, ArticFox319, and Witty Name.**

 **Fun Fact: I have given a few Gems distinct fighting styles. For example: 107's way of fighting is somewhat monkey-ish. I.E. he spends more time dodging and flipping around and less time striking. He only strikes with the right opening.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

107 ducked and dodged around axe and hammer, jumping up and bringing back his left arm as a gauntlet quickly formed over it, throwing it forward at the fusion, who reached up and caught it, sliding back.

107 planted his feet in the giant's chest, boots activating as he rocketed himself backwards.

He flipped in air, landing and skidding to a stop.

With one mighty roar, Spinel was airborne, pulling his axe-hammer into the air and swinging it down at 107 with shocking speeds.

Rocketing back, 107 opened his palm as a cannon formed around his left arm, firing blasts of green into Spinel, who shot forward threw them, brushing them off.

Quickly claws formed in place of the cannon, and the two shot at one another, clangs of energy against metal ringing throughout the ship.

107 jumped back, left arm swinging rapidly to beat back the rapid axe swings, dodging nimbly around each swing.

Spinel roared. "Stop moving!"

"Stop trying to kill me." 107 responded easily, showing no strain as he continued to dodge.

107 suddenly jumped up, pulling back his claws with lightning speed and slashing them across Spinel's face, making him roar in pain as he stumbled back.

107 shot forward, pulling back his left palm and ramming it directly into Spinel's abdomen, making the giant hunch over before the shock wave hit, throwing him back across the room, breaking through a wall.

"Are we about done here?" 107 placed his hands in his pockets, taking up the same pose he'd taken when Cuprite first attacked him.

What a mess he'd managed to get into...

Spinel growled, pulling himself from the wall of the next room and picking up his axe hammer.

"I'll be done when you're dead!" Spinel shot forward at 107, who jumped into the air, sending his arm stretching upwards as Garnet's was known to do and grabbing hold of one of the large lights hanging over them.

He pulled himself up rapidly, and Spinel looked up towards the light, only to momentarily blind himself and cover his eyes.

107 laughed to himself before jumping down, rocketing down towards Spinel as both arms were taken by the wind behind him, green energy swirling off of his left arm like some sort of flames.

He grabbed hold of Spinel's face with his right arm as he fell, slamming him into the ground.

107 held Spinel down by the face as he pulled back his left arm, twisting his body into a single punch to the fusion's chest, sending him exploding through the floor.

Air was sucked from the ship as the floor was broken through, Spinel plummeting to the earth.

107 stood tall, looking around and sighing.

"The Connie would be angry if I were to leave that behemoth down there with the humans... Ugh... But if I am to get a home here on this planet, I will need someone to vouch for me..."

Did that work as an excuse?

Sigh... Yes...

107 jumped through the hole, the tendrils connecting him to the ship's power core growing thinner.

 _I'll have to make this quick. I can't leave the Connie up there alone...  
_

 __ **Chapter 51: Phase 3 (Part 2)  
**

 **Merciless** **  
**

 _"are you sorry? For anything, anything at all?"_

* * *

"Well the ship has stopped firing, so that's good... Right?" Lars glanced at Greg, who shrugged.

"Don't get comfortable..." Sour Cream said, looking to where Onion had pointed, watching the large Gem fall from the ship.

With a large splash, Spinel was plummeting into the water.

"So uh... Should we get the Cannons ready?" Lars glanced at Greg, who was about to nod, when he noticed the glowing green gem shooting from the ship and into where the giant was climbing from the water.

A sigh of relief was immediately breathed.

* * *

Spinel panted quick, angry pants, glaring up at 107, who floated there, arms crossed with a blank expression.

"Come on. Just give up, defuse. You don't have to fight me." 107 pleaded, expression remaining uncaring.

"You think it's that easy?! Bloodstone will crush us if we fail here!" Spinel said, hammer-axe reappearing in hand.

"Then don't go back to Bloodstone. If you work with us, and the Crystal Gems manage to defeat Bloodstone, you can just live here on Earth. Maybe even find a nice place off world. I'm sure the Peridot, 127 and I could fix up that ship quite nicely..."

"Why would I do that," Spinel grinned, jumping into the air and pulling up his axe hammer. "When I can just kill you and reap the reward?!"

107 grit his teeth, the tendrils connecting him to the ship glowing brighter as he lifted his left hand, and Spinel stopped in mid air.

"H-huh?! What are you doing?!" Spinel flailed, looking scared and confused.

"I'll give you one last chance..." 107 looked up at Spinel, left eye glowing green. "Give up now..."

"Or you're going to have a _really_ bad time."

* * *

Connie cut through guard after guard, running towards the Control Room.

"Someone stop that thing!" Was the first thing the ship driver, a peridot, Connie believed, yelled as she entered the room.

The two emeralds helping her control the ship jumped up, energy blades forming over their arms.

"If I could handle Emerald before all of this, I think I can handle you two." Connie smirked, standing ready.

* * *

Bloodstone ducked and dodged around Hematite's blades, jumping back as Prehnite came from above, their blade stretching out and stabbing into the ground as Bloodstone dodged before pulling themselves down to the ground with it, aiming their blaster at him and firing rapidly.

Bloodstone dodged around the blasts with ease, jumping forward at Prehnite and pulling back his scythe.

Prehnite blocked with their blade arm, glaring into Bloodstone's eyes before they jumped back away from one another.

"Aw, you look angry about something." Bloodstone grinned, eyes half open as he held his arms out to his sides in a shrug.

"Did my latest kill really hit you that hard, Peridot?"

Prehnite's hands shook, and in an instant, they were firing a barrage of blasts into Bloodstone, who knocked each one aside with his scythe.

"Oh, come on!" Bloodstone shot forward, pulling his scythe back to the side as he prepared to cut down the fusion.

"I hope for your sake you can do better than that!"

Bloodstone was suddenly jumping back, a blue blast exploding between him and Prehnite. He glared up at Blue Diamond, who charged several more blasts, firing a barrage at the Reaper, who slashed each one into the distance.

Bloodstone suddenly held out one hand, stopping one of Howlite's mouth beams in his palm, using his other hand to hold the scythe and deflect blasts.

"Is that all you've got?!"

With a roar, Hematite shot forward, pulling back both blades as he hunched over, preparing to stab Bloodstone.

"NOT EVEN CLOSE!"

Bloodstone prepared to swing down, when several arrows plunged into his back, making him stumble forward.

His eyes widened, blood spewing from his mouth as Hematite's blades jabbed through his flesh, piercing his abdomen and tearing from his back.

Bloodstone glared at Hematite, pulling back one glowing hand as he prepared to blast him from point blank.

In an instant, a flaming gauntlet was ramming into his face, throwing him back across the Kindergarten.

Blue Diamond held out one palm to the cliff face he smashed into, an orb of blue appearing in front of her palm.

"This ends now." She said, eyes narrowing as the orb fired, growing upon leaving her palm and exploding into the cliff face in an instant, lighting up the Kindergarten in blue.

After but a moment of stillness, a scythe spun from the dust, Blue Diamond barely having enough time to dodge.

She yelled out in pain, the scythe sticking into her shoulder and coming out the back, blood staining her clothes.

Bloodstone was upon her in an instant, grabbing hold of the scythe handle and planting his feet on her chest, kicking off of her and tearing the scythe free while sending her rocketing into the earth.

"Oh please! What do you take me for?" Bloodstone laughed down at her crater, before suddenly ducking, Howlite's fist swinging over his head.

He kicked at Howlite, who blocked with his forearm, wincing before flipping back, sending a kick at his chin, which he moved back to avoid.

Howlite quickly descended, landing back on the ground and watching as Bloodstone shot back down towards him, pulling back one fist as black energy spiraled around it.

Howlite quickly put up both hands, a dome of ice appearing over him.

The ice shattered instantly, Bloodstone shooting through and bringing his fist down on Howlite, who held up both hands, catching it and being forced to one knee, the ground under him denting into a crater.

Howlite panted, and Bloodstone pulled back one leg, kicking Howlite in the chest and sending him back, skidding across the dirt.

Bloodstone grinned, walking down the crater towards Howlite, who sat up slowly.

"D-damn it..." Howlite held his side, struggling to his feet.

"Does this scene seem as familiar to you as it does to me, freak?" Bloodstone grinned.

An image flashed before Howlite's eyes.

This same scene, but Howlite was standing where Bloodstone was, and vice versa.

"So you wouldn't happen to still be angry about that whole God Eater thing, wouldja?" Howlite grinned lightly, and Bloodstone's teeth grit.

"I am going to obliterate you..."

"Scary." Howlite waved his hands as if they were claws as he mocked, and Bloodstone shot off the ground towards him.

Bloodstone was stopped, Garnet catching his scythe as he pulled it back.

Bloodstone glared back at her, and Howlite jumped at him from behind, metal maw appearing as his mouth opened wide.

Bloodstone spun around, slamming his fist into the side of Howlite's face and throwing him back to the side.

Howlite skidded across the ground on his back, blood seeping from his cheek.

Bloodstone spun back around to face Garnet, only to be met with an iced gauntlet to the face, his head being thrown back, though he refused to take a step back.

"I truly dislike being hit in the face with trash, fusion..." Garnet's eyes widened as Bloodstone grabbed hold of her wrist, spinning on his heel and throwing her over his shoulder.

Garnet spun, landing and skidding on her feet before Blodostone shot after her, ramming one knee into her abdomen, making her hunch over in pain before he held up both fists, conjoining them and bringing them down on her head.

Bloodstone back flipped away as Garnet crashed through the earth.

He reached up quickly, catching an arrow and glaring directly at Opal, who flinched under his gaze.

"I am done dealing with you." He raised one palm to them as they jumped from cliff face to cliff face, trying to avoid his blast.

An orb of black fired at lightning speed towards her, racing through the sky as she came to a dead end, and she looked to the orb with wide eyes as a black light illuminated the area.

In an instant, the orb was sliced in two, spiraling off in different directions.

Hematite spun down, landing across the ground from Bloodstone as the orbs exploded off in the distance.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing." Hematite stared with eyes full of iced hatred, and Bloodstone grinned.

"I never took you for one to hold a grudge, Hematite. I thought you were more rational than that." Bloodstone walked towards Hematite, who walked towards him.

"We all have a line that shouldn't be crossed. Mine happened to be Zeolite. Go Figure." Hematite held his blades firmly, and Bloodstone's grin faded.

Hematite flashed from himself to that grey figure in Bloodstone's dreams.

He was sinking.

He knew he was sinking.

"You know... I've been thinking a lot lately, Bloodstone." Hematite said, both of them stopping at about five feet apart.

"About what you did... Everyone you made disappear... Everything they stood for..." Hematite looked at the sky, the gloom of the Kindergarten not affected by the rising of the sun.

"And, you know, I could forgive all of it..." Hematite took in a slow breath, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Pyrite, Zeolite... All of the pain I watched and helped you inflict..." Hematite shook his head.

"I could let it all go." Hematite looked back to Bloodstone.

"If it wasn't for one thing..." Hematite's hands tightened on his blades, knuckles growing white.

"You went back on a promise, Bloodstone..." Hematite's teeth grit.

Bloodstone looked slightly confused.

"You don't remember, do you, Reaper?" Hematite stared coldly at Bloodstone.

"You don't remember why Zeolite and I agreed to join you, do you?" Hematite sighed, disappointed.

"What else would I expect? After all..." Hematite's eyes snapped wide open, his blades readying.

"You've always been a liar..."

* * *

"W-what the... How are you doing this?! How is any of this possible?! You're just some emerald!" Spinel flailed, though it did nothing to help.

"You are bad at listening." 107 shook his head. "I am no emerald, as I've told you far too many times now..."

107 suddenly moved his hand to the left, smashing Spinel into the beach.

"I am 107. Emerald base, Homeworld A.I. Body Prototype." 107 said, pulling Spinel up into the air once again just to smash him back down.

"And you have made this day a rather... Unpleasant experience." 107 moved his hand rapidly, throwing Spinel around violently.

107 smashed Spinel into the ground, letting him go from his green hold.

"Now, are you going to give up, knowing who I am?" 107 floated down to the ground before Spinel, who looked up, grinning.

"If you're really... If you're really that 107, then killing you should get us a lot higher up in the Homeworld Government..." Raising his hammer-axe, Spinel prepared to swing down at 107.

The hammer glowed green in his hand, suddenly falling backwards towards him.

He jumped back, surprised. "What the-"

"Don't you get it?!" 107 sounded desperate. "You. Can't. Win." His eyes narrowed.

"So leave while you still can."

Spinel chuckled to himself, clenching his hands into fists. "If I can't smash you with my hammer and I can't cut you with my axe, I'll just crush you with my hands!"

"You're going to lose."

"As if I'd lose to some failed experiment!" Spinel jumped forward, pulling back one large fist and swinging at 107, who caught it, sliding back slightly with a grunt.

"Alright, fine."

107 spun on his heel, taking hold of Spinel and throwing him over his shoulder into the water.

Spinel landed with a splash, but shot from the water, pulling his fists into the air as he came down towards where 107 was a moment ago.

107 was, of course, gone.

"Where did he..?" Spinel glanced around, before his eyes suddenly widened, 107 slamming elbow first into his back and forcing him to bend backwards around the hit before flying into the water.

"But don't say I didn't warn you." 107 smirked lightly as he opened his left palm to the water.

His palm glowed green, and he suddenly threw his arm upward, Spinel being dragged from the water with this movement, now encased in green.

107 swung his arm around violently, slamming Spinel into everything he could, his other hand casually in his pocket as he watched his own actions with a bored expression.

"Sp-ace G-od d-amn it l-et me d-own!"

"You wanna go down, do you?" 107's hair covered his eyes.

"Y-es!"

"Fine, I _am_ a nice guy."

In an instant, Spinel was slamming down through the sand, being pushed down into it as it fell over him.

"Idiots like you are the reason wars happen..." The green glow disappeared from 107's hand, and he looked back to the ship.

"Now I should be able to-"

The sand behind him exploded into the air, Spinel shooting out and pulling up his hammer-axe.

"DIE!"

Spinel swung down, and 107 held up his left arm, his Proto-Blade appearing over it as he blocked the axe with ease.

"Some people just don't know when to stop, do they?" 107 sighed, suddenly pushing Spinel's weapon back with shocking force, making him stumble back.

107 shot forward, a javelin appearing around his arm, what would be the handle reaching over his arm and jutting out from his hand, the point reaching far ahead.

"Fall."

Spinel's eyes widened as 107 rammed his javelin through his stomach, coming out through his back and leaving a gaping hole in his abdomen.

107 spun, landing on one knee before glaring over his shoulder at Spinel, who fell to his knees, holding his wound.

"H-how..?" Spinel gasped, coughing blood as blood seeped through his fingers on the hand that held his wound.

"How could you defeat me..?" He slammed one fist on the ground.

"No... I won't lose to trash like you..!" Spinel stumbled to his feet. "Even if it kills us..!"

"..." 107 stared at the ground. Those two were so determined to win... They worked so well in tandem...

"Why..?" 107 questioned, turning to face the fusion.

"Why are you so keen on getting back up? Is it so you won't be executed?" He arched a brow at them.

"No!" Spinel stood slowly, hammer-axe appearing in hand.

"As long as we stand, Homeworld will not fall!" They roared. "We are everything our world stands for! We may not be diamonds or Bloodstone, but we'll be damned if our home ever falls to your kind! We refuse to lose a battle to you! We refuse to go home in defeat! We, I, will go home in glory or I will die here!"

"..."

"Because I have something to stand for! Can you say the same?!"

107 looked to the ground.

In an instant, Spinel was falling backwards, back slamming and being pressed down against the sand.

107 held out his left hand, glowing green. "I am... Truly sorry."

107 lifted his hand to the sky.

He held all of his fingers together, before pulling them slowly apart, as if there was resistance.

Spinel roared, being ripped in two.

His form shifted, shrinking into two smaller gems, who 107 dropped.

"... Are you one hundred percent sure..?" 107 asked, Cuprite and Halite standing slowly.

The two glanced at one another, their weapons appearing.

"Yes."

107 shot forward, holding his left arm out to the side as his Proto-Blade reappeared.

Halite shot forward, colliding with the blade as a shock wave blew sand away from the two.

Cuprite spun from above, 107 jumping back as his hammer smashed the sand into the air.

From the sand the two shot, spiraling at 107 as they both pulled their weapons out to opposite sides.

107 waved his arm to the side, the two being thrown aside.

Both of them spun, landing on their feet and skidding before shooting off the ground at him.

107 ducked under Halite's axe, sweeping out his legs before back flipping and spinning in air like a ball away from Cuprite's hammer.

As he landed, the two shot at him from opposite sides.

107 jumped up, the two stopping right where he was standing.

They both jumped up after him, and as he moved his head back to avoid Halite's axe, which sliced off a few hairs, Cuprite jumped above them, spinning down and slamming his hammer down on 107's forehead, sending him exploding into the sand.

Halite and Cuprite landed, looking around and waiting for 107, who had disappeared underground.

* * *

"This... Doesn't feel right..." 107 watched the two, back against a rock as he waited for them to do... I don't know, something.

"No, they are a danger to my safety. To 127's safety... To the Connie's safety..."

107's hands clenched into fists, and he took a deep breath. "They have to die..."

As he was about to step out, something pink caught his eye.

He noticed something pink was sticking from the sand.

He opened his palm to the sand, moving it aside quietly so as to not catch the enemy's attention.

His eyes widened at his discovery.

It appeared to be a destroyed Laser Light Cannon.

"Another relic... What a shame it would be to put this to waste..." A small smirk appeared on 107's lips as the parts lifted into the air, glowing green.

"Ah, yes, I can work with this..."

* * *

"Where is he..?" Halite glanced around.

"Maybe he left?" Cuprite suggested.

"No... He was so confident in his abilities, there is no way he would leave..." Halite glanced around, tensing.

In an instant, a boulder was kicked at them, and they both jumped to opposite sides to avoid it.

"There he i-" Halite stopped mid sentence, eyes widening.

"Here I am." Behind 107 floated what looked like a green skull, made from what could only have been Rose's cannon, buried on the beach after being destroyed.

It's mouth opened, a glowing green light appearing in it.

"I'm not one for one liners so..." 107 shrugged, aiming his open palm at the two.

"Fire."

The skull fired green beams at the two as they jumped around, avoiding them. The sand being hit was burnt to glass, and Cuprite shot forward, pulling back his hammer in attempts to stop 107's attack.

107 jumped back, the skull firing at him.

Cuprite held up his hammer in a futile attempt to block, but Halite jumped over him, smashing the beam aside with his axe, landing on the sand while gritting his teeth.

"You won't stop us!" Halite called, but 107 said nothing.

107 held up one hand once again, Halite and Cuprite shooting off at him.

Halite was lit up in green, being thrown around while Cuprite dodged blasts, getting closer and closer to 107, who continued to jump back away from him.

Cuprite jumped forward one last time, and 107's arm blade shot out at him.

He dodged to the side, and blade went on, stabbing into the ground.

Cuprite reached 107, looking to be about to jump up when the green blade shot from the sand, stabbing through his back.

With wide eyes Cuprite hit the ground, landing face first, eyes wide as blood seeped slowly from his mouth.

"I-... I see..." He pushed himself up, despite the hole in the right side of his chest.

The hole in his gem.

"... Please..." 107's hands clenched into fists.

"Stay down."

"Heh... What kind of... Coward do you take me for..?" Cuprite winced, coughing blood as more cracks spread through his gem.

"I'm not gonna... I'm not gonna..." Cuprite stumbled, falling to his hands and knees before forcing himself up once again.

"I'm not gonna lose..."

He shot off the ground at 107, who's blaster aimed down at him.

"EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!"

107's hand was aimed directly at Cuprite, Halite being dropped.

"..."

The blaster fired directly down at Cuprite, who kept running, pulling back his hammer.

"... I'm sorry."

The blaster fired, and Cuprite kept that same look of determination as he was engulfed.

"Cuprite!" Halite called, reaching out in shock towards his comrade.

The blast faded, and nothing but shards laid on the ground.

Halite rushed to the scene, picking up the shards with horror clear on his face.

"Damn it Cuprite..!" He shook, holding the shards close. "Why couldn't you just wait..?! We're a team damn it..." Halite fell to his knees, eyes closed.

107's cannon powered down, floating motionless in the sky. His arm fell, head down.

"You... You did this..." Halite stood slowly. His hammer appeared in his hand, pupils shrinking as his hands clenched into tight fists, knuckles white, wind blowing his hair.

"You're gonna pay... Even if it costs me everything, you're gonna pay!" A second hammer appeared in his hand, and 107's left hand began to glow as his blaster lit up once more.

"... Halite's and Cuprite's were first created on Earth during the Gem wars... Production stopped shortly after the Gem Wars. You and your partner..." 107 sighed.

"I suppose not all relics can survive the ages..." 107 shrugged with disappointment.

"That's too bad... Murder isn't usually my thing." All mercy seemed to fade from his eyes as his expression grew colder than usual.

 **"Until some numb skull pulls it out of me."**

* * *

 **Most of you were probably just expecting more everyone throwing themselves at Bloodstone.  
**

 **Well too bad, you got 107 throwing a fusion around for the majority of the chapter.**

 **speaking of which, can you guess who 107's telekinetic powers and blaster are based off of?**

 **If you've played the game it's pretty obvious...**

 **Heh... Spinel got dunked on...**

 **Anyway! Please Favorite, Follow, and Review!**

 **XWolf26, out**


	53. Chapter 52: Phase 3 (Part 3)

**Thanks go to Pelagop, Kagehime-Sama53, StoryWriter2003, The Weeping Prophet, Guest, S U fan, Guest, and KillJoyGem.**

 **As most of you guessed, 107's powers are, in fact, based off of Sans from Undertale.**

 **I think my personal favorite response to that was Pelagop's review "One-Zero-Sans Confirmed" which made me laugh for at least ten minutes.**

 **Now then, onto the chapter!  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe**

* * *

Hematite jumped back from scythe swing after scythe swing, Bloodstone roaring angrily as Hematite dodged.

"What, you think I'm just gonna stand there and take it?" Hematite stepped to the side, Bloodstone's scythe stabbing into the ground.

Hematite stabbed forward, and Bloodstone jumped back, opening one palm at him.

Hematite jumped forward as he was blasted at, cutting down the beam towards Bloodstone.

Bloodstone's eyes widened in surprise, and he jumped back as Hematite stabbed through the beam, quickly following Bloodstone, swinging rapidly at him.

Bloodstone stopped abruptly, snarling as he stopped the blades with his scythe as they came from above.

"I have grown tired of you..." Bloodstone said through gritting teeth.

"Then go ahead and try to kill me." Hematite grinned with gritting teeth, and Bloodstone snarled, an explosion of black energy throwing Hematite back.

"I am done playing games!" Bloodstone roared, Hematite sliding to a stop and holding up both blades.

 **Chapter 52: Phase 3 (Part 2)**

 **Merciless (Part 2)  
**

 _"I FEAR NOTHING AND NO ONE! I AM EVIL!"  
_

* * *

Lapis's eyes snapped open, jolting Steven.

She shot up, looking around quickly. "What's going on?! Did we win?!"

"Heh... I wish..." Steven pointed to the shock waves in the sky, Bloodstone kicking back Hematite before blocking a fist from Garnet.

He kicked Garnet back, turning to face Prehnite.

"So he's still alive... Which means..." Lapis looked to Steven, who nodded slowly.

"O-oh..." Lapis looked down, eyes wide.

"Well, I'm sure he didn't go down without a fight." Lapis stood slowly, her hands clenching into fists.

"But I keep telling myself I won't let anyone else die because of this monster..." Lapis's wings spread suddenly, making Steven jump back.

"Steven, stay here." She looked over her shoulder at him, and he nodded.

"Be safe, okay?" Steven said, and Lapis nodded before bursting into the air.

* * *

Howlite watched from the ground, sighing as he leaned on his crutch. "Damn it..." His hands clenched into fists.

"This is exhausting... I can't keep up like this..." He grit his teeth.

"I'm better off dead than like this..."

"Howlite!"

Howlite looked up, seeing Lapis flap down to him. He quickly put on the same brave face he'd had on before the battle.

"Oh, good. You're awake." Howlite said calmly.

"What are you doing on the sidelines?" Lapis asked.

Howlite glanced to his crutch, eyes narrowing.

"... Right..." Lapis nodded, before she smirked.

"Well that's good. That means you have no choice but to agree to my offer." Lapis held up one fist, smirking confidently.

"Uh... What do you mean?"

"What's with that look in your eye?"

"Lapis don't tell me you're gonna ask me to..."

"Trust me, I don't like fusion anymore than you." Lapis said, putting a hand on Howlite's shoulder.

"But right now it's the only way we're gonna keep up." Lapis stared determined into Howlite's eyes.

"..." Howlite sighed. "And here I thought I could have kept the fusions at two in my life time. Fine, but I'll warn you, you might see some... Strange things up here." Howlite tapped his finger to his head.

"Good to know. Now take my hand."

* * *

Bloodstone kicked back Garnet, jumping back from a barrage of arrows that Hematite easily jumped through, dodging each one. ** _  
_**

Bloodstone stopped, sliding back slightly and slashing Hematite's blade to the side, Hematite spinning and ducking, sweeping with one leg at Bloodstone's feet, Bloodstone jumping over it and slashing down at him, only for the attack to be blocked by a green blade, Prehnite glaring into Bloodstone's eyes before the two jumped back from one another.

Bloodstone skidded to a stop, twirling his scythe with a grin. "Come on, keep it up you guys." He laughed through clenched teeth.

"This is just starting to get fun."

Garnet panted, the mist rising from her right gauntlet and the smoke rising from her left gauntlet dwindling.

"Garnet, please, for your own good, stop using all that power. You'll run yourself dry and knock yourself out of this battle. And believe us when we say we need you up." Prehnite glanced at Garnet out of the corner of their eye, and Garnet sighed, her gauntlets going back to their normal color.

It almost looked like a weight had been lifted from Garnet's shoulders, and she almost looked slightly more energized.

"So it looks like your star fighter can't handle the heat." Bloodstone sighed.

"I was worried no one would be able to fill the last one's shoes..."

Bloodstone almost looked saddened with disappointment.

"Then allow me to try them on."

Bloodstone's eyes widened slightly, the new voice replacing the disappointment on his face with surprise.

He spun around to face the new Gem standing on a small hill above them, arms crossed over their chest.

He seemed more masculine than feminine, wearing a blue version of Howlite's tank top and pants with a sort of cape like flap that resembled Lapis's dress skirt over his back. Much like the Ocean Gem, he wasn't wearing shoes. The vein-like cracks from Howlite ran across their skin.

A smirk cracked across his face, light blue hair covering his eyes as Bloodstone grinned, eyes widening in excitement.

"Something about that expression you're wearing..." The new fusion seemed to tense, muscles visibly bulking.

"Well..." The smirk became a grin, wings of water exploding from his back and forming points, the wings then freezing over, an icy chill running across the Kindergarten.

"I won't grace it with a description."

* * *

Halite jumped into the air, swinging his axe down at 107's blaster, which moved back just in time, blasting him from point blank!

"Please tell me that did it..." 107 muttered to himself, watching the smoke plum in the sky.

A roar over took the air, and 107 sighed, watching Halite fall from the smoke, pulling back one fist as scorch marks covered his body.

"Of course not..." 107 jumped back, Halite exploding into the ground.

107 was about to jump into the air to avoid a sneak attack, but a hand shot from the sand, grabbing him by the foot.

"?!" 107's eyes widened, Halite bursting from the earth and pulling him back, whipping him across the sky at his blaster, while quickly moved out of the way.

"How's it feel getting thrown around?!" Halite yelled into the explosion of dust that was 107's landing place.

"Why would you ask me that?" A green glow illuminated the dust.

"Have you already forgotten what it feels like? That's too bad..." A hand reached from the dust, glowing green.

"I guess I can remind you, since you're clearly desperate to learn."

"H-hey wait a minu-" Halite lifted into the air, and the shadow of 107's grinish smirk could be seen in the smoke as he rapidly moved his arm, whipping Halite back and forth, smashing him into every last boulder.

"and to answer your question, the taste of my own medicine was quite bitter." 107 stepped from the smoke, smirk gone as he threw Halite around, lifeless left eye glowing green.

"But that doesn't mean I am going to stop feeding it to you."

* * *

"Ooh you look like more fun than the last fusions..." Bloodstone spun his scythe.

"All of you catch your breath." The fusion glanced over at the others, ignoring Bloodstone for a moment.

Noticing the worry appearing on each of their faces, he rolled his eyes. "Look, I can handle tall and overcompensating over here, at least for a little while. You all look like you need a breather."

They didn't bother objecting, Garnet knowing she would have to get her strength back if she wanted to keep predicting Bloodstone's moves, Prenite and Hematite knowing they could use a moment to get some energy back and come up with a game plan.

Surprisingly, the 'throw yourself at him as many times as you can' plan wasn't working.

"Hey, ugly, come on," The fusion motioned for Bloodstone to follow. "There's too many people here for my liking."

"And why should I listen to you?" Bloodstone questioned, smirking.

"Aw, come on," He glanced at Bloodstone out of the corner of his eye, a look Bloodstone recognized as that of a certain form that would forever haunt his dreams.

"You really don't want me to make you cry in front of all our friends, do you?"

Bloodstone's eyes narrowed, excitement replaced with anger.

"Fine, blue thing, we'll fight on your grounds." Bloodstone's wings unfolded.

"Ouch, blue thing. And here I thought you wouldn't judge someone by the color of their gem. Y'know, humans make a pretty big deal about that." The fusion took flight, Bloodstone following.

Garnet sighed, falling back against a rock, panting. Hematite jumped to the hill the fusion had stood on moments ago, watching the two fly to a higher point in the Kindergarten.

Opal suddenly jumped down next to him, watching the two as well.

"Was that... Lapis and Howlite..?" Opal questioned, glancing over at Hematite, who nodded.

"I wondered what they were doing." Prehnite said, hands in their pockets. "Though I had hoped whatever it was would have confirmed my OTP."

All of the other Gems looked to Prehnite, who seemed to be trying to glare at themselves.

"That one was Emerald, if you hadn't guessed." Prehnite said, and the other three shrugged, as if to say "Yep, figured."

* * *

"Blue?" Amazonite glanced around the Kindergarten. "Blue Diamond?"

Amazonite walked slowly up a cliff-like hill, watching as the light blue and black figures set down on the plateau before them.

"Oh, hello Amazonite." Blue Diamond sat at the ledge, legs hanging over the edge as she prepared to watch the two battle. "Come to watch the show with me?"

"I don't mean to be that Gem right now, but I think you should be helping and not watching, Blue." Amazonite crossed her arms, and Blue Diamond shrugged.

"It'll be fine." Blue Diamond said, and Amazonite gave her a 'really' look.

"Come on, when have I lied-" Amazonite was about to interrupt, but Blue stopped her. "To you! When have I ever lied to you? Geez, don't you have faith in Howlite and uh... It'll come to me." Blue Diamond shrugged after a moment of thinking.

Amazonite sighed. "Well it's not exactly like I can make you..." She sat next to Blue Diamond, who smiled lightly as she did so.

* * *

"So what's your name, anyway?" Bloodstone said, scythe in hand.

"That is a good question." The fusion looked themselves over, analyzing the color of their skin as they were unable to look at their Gems.

"Sodalite, from the looks of it." He shrugged.

"Well, Sodalite, are you sure you want to try to fight me? If memory serves, half of you wised up last time and gave up." Bloodstone grinned.

Sodalite didn't seem to be listening, much too busy with his stretching.

"Wha- are you even listening?!" Bloodstone snapped, and Sodalite arched a brow at him.

"Huh? Uh yeah, I think so. 'Something something wise up and try to fight me something something', right?" Sodalite stood up straight, arching a brow at the gem Reaper.

"..." Bloodstone's left eye twitched. "Let's just get this over with."

"That's the spirit!" Sodalite said, smirking as he held out one hand, ice exploding in spikes from it towards Bloodstone, moving as swiftly as water would.

Bloodstone growled, back flipping away from each stab, ducking and dodging.

He slashed the wave of ice knives, sending shards flying into the air.

"Is that all you've go- What on Homeworld..?" Bloodstone's eyes widened, watching wolves made of ice and sharks made of water dart across the land at him.

"Dance Reaper dance!" Sodalite laughed, watching Bloodstone jump and dodge around the water creations, arms crossed.

"I am going to-" Bloodstone was cut off, a shark snapping onto his wing as a wolf snapped onto his arm.

"Gah! Space God damn it!" Bloodstone yelled, a shock wave of black throwing the creations off of him.

"You're going to make an empty threat, I know. We've been here before." Sodalite rolled his eyes.

"But... For some reason..." A grin spread across his face.

"It's still amusing."

"I WILL NOT PLAY DOG GAMES!" Bloodstone exploded forward, pulling back his scythe and swinging at Sodalite.

The scythe was caught in a metallic maw, and Bloodstone glared in Sodalite's grinning face.

"Ah ah, Water Dog Games." Sodalite corrected, streams of water shooting from the ends of the metal maw, stabbing at Bloodstone, who jumped back, slashing them away.

"Y'know, you really remind me of another determined douche I met awhile back..." Sodalite's hair covered his eyes, a frown appearing on his usually smirking face.

"He's dead now." Ice seemed to run through the veins of black on Sodalite's skin.

"But you knew that before any of us..." Water sharks and Ice wolves surrounded Bloodstone, Sodalite standing with arms crossed in front of him.

"Isn't that right, Murderer?"

* * *

107 jumped back, an axe spinning down and stabbing into the ground before him. As he lost his concentration momentarily, Halite was dropped, spinning and bringing his calf down in an axe kick on top of 107's skull, sending him smashing through the sand.

"Come out, you scrawny freak!" Halite yelled into the sand. "I'm not done with you yet!"

"I told you to leave but did you listen?" The sand lifted into the air, encased in green as 107 stood at the bottom of a crater, arms crossed.

"It's not my fault your friend is dead, fool." A hint of anger was in 107's voice.

Halite roared, shooting off the ground at 107, swinging a new axe rapidly at him.

"I've learned something in my time alive..." 107 said as he dodged.

"The world pushes us without mercy," The axe swung by 107's cheek, droplets of blood flying through the air as it was sliced open.

"But when someone pushes back..." 107 held out his left hand, taking hold of Halite and lifting him into the air.

"The world points and cries:" 107 began throwing Halite around once again, right hand clenched into a fist.

" ** _Monster_**!"

* * *

Bloodstone slashed back an ice wolf, ducking under a shark before spinning around, blocking part of an ice wing, Sodalite stabbing at him.

The several other parts of the wing stabbed at him rapidly, forcing him to move at lightning speed, not a single hit landing.

Sodalite snapped at him with metal teeth, streams of water jabbing from his jaws at him as well.

"Is that the best you can do?!" As response, Sodalite shot forward, ramming his elbow into Bloodstone's abdomen, making him hunch over as ice wings stabbing into his back.

Bloodstone's wings pulled back in time, forming a shell-like skin on his back, the ice wings breaking on it.

"Ha!" Bloodstone pulled back one fist, swinging at Sodalite, who snapped forward, teeth sinking into Bloodstone's fist.

"Gah!" Bloodstone snarled up at Sodalite, before his eyes widened, fear creeping into them once more.

Sodalite stared down at him with those damn God Eater eyes once again, pupils shrunk in rage as a thirst for vengeance was clear on his face.

"What, did you think I was really that laid back?!" Sodalite grabbed Bloodstone's arm, angry expression fading after he did so.

He pulled back one fist, wings of ice spiraling up it into a drill. "Well, you'd be right, I suppose..."

"But there's just something in me that _really_ wants me to mutilate you." Sodalite chomped down, teeth tearing through Bloodstone's hand, blood spewing through the air.

Sodalite pulled back one foot, kicking Bloodstone in the stomach but refusing to let him go.

Sodalite continued to kick him, teeth gritting.

"I don't know where you get off, you little freak." Sodalite said, throwing Bloodstone back.

"What with this need you seem to have to kill people. That freakish grin you put on when you do it... And that look of joy in your eye when it happens..." Sodalite shook his head.

"Like I said, I don't know where you get off," Sodalite shot forward, pulling back his drill arm.

"But I can guess it's pretty close to where I do!" Sodalite rammed his drill into Bloodstone's chest, the ice spinning and tearing through him!

"Now do me a favor and get out of my sight, because there can only be _one_ freak here!"

Bloodstone's eyes hung open wide, blood seeping from his mouth as his lips slowly curved to a grin.

"Hahaha..." Bloodstone laughed under the roar of his flesh being torn from him and thrown into the air.

Bloodstone suddenly grabbed Sodalite by the drill, cracks spreading through the ice.

"You really are good at this whole speech thing, even when you're stuck with that miserable whelp." Bloodstone's hand clenched down, smashing through the drill and grabbing tight hold of Sodalite's arm!

"But let's be honest, Howlite," Bloodstone pulled himself close, blood dripping from his eyes. "The only one here who doesn't know you aren't cut out for this job is that little blue gem you're fused with. And trust me, she's catching on..."

Sodalite suddenly pulled back his head, slamming his head into Bloodstone's and jarring the reaper, making him stumble backwards.

"Barkin' up the wrong tree, Reaper. I don't know why you keep trying to talk to those two, they're kinda preoccupied right now." Sodalite shot forward, ramming one palm into Bloodstone's abdomen and throwing him back.

"Heh... Preoccupied, eh? I called it..." Bloodstone chuckled as he stood up straight, those screaming souls appearing once more to be sucked into the drill hole, healing it.

"..." Sodalite sighed. "Yep, guess I walked right into that one..." He rolled his eyes, before they snapped open wide once again.

"Now let's just get to the point."

Sodalite shot off the ground at Bloodstone, pulling back one fist and throwing it forward at him, only for it to be blocked, a shock wave blowing dust away from them.

Bloodstone swung at him with a left hook, but he ducked under it, shooting up and ramming his head into Bloodstone's chin, making Bloodstone stumbled back as he shot forward, ice wings stabbing down at him in unison as he jumped back, firing a black wave of power at them.

The wings molded together into a shield, blocking the beam.

Bloodstone stood in wait for them to burst from the smoke, but instead he was greeted with an ice hand jolting from the earth and grabbing him by the leg.

"What the-..." Bloodstone watched as an ice clone of himself crawled from the Earth, grinning that same grin at him.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me..." Bloodstone blasted at the clone, and it evaporated, forming back together above him and coming down at him, slashing a water scythe into the ground where he once was.

Bloodstone jumped back, aiming another blast at the clone before he felt a sudden pain in his shoulder, blood spewing through the air.

He glared over at Sodalite, who was attached to him, teeth sunk into his shoulder.

"Gah! Get off of m-" Bloodstone was cut off, ice wings stabbing into his back and making him cough blood.

Bloodstone's eyes widened as blood seeped from his mouth, Sodalite kicking him forward into the clone, who caught him with a close line.

Bloodstone was thrown back to Sodalite, who hit him back to the clone, who hit him back to Sodalite.

This process continued for about thirty seconds before Bloodstone's wings appeared, lifting him from the chain.

"I keep forgetting I have these..." Bloodstone muttered, before looking to his foes.

"Alright, jackass, you think you're funny?" Bloodstone questioned angrily, and Sodalite shrugged.

"A little, yes." Sodalite nodded. "I figured maybe some comedy would pull me away from this blistering anger."

"It didn't."

The two shot off at one another again, a shock wave blowing back Blue Diamond's hair and sending the clone into a puddle as they collided.

The two spiraled into the sky, spinning as they attempted to land a blow on one another.

Bloodstone slammed one elbow into Sodalite's chin, forcing his head to the side as he brought his knee up into Bloodstone's chin, making him float back for a moment before Sodalite shot forward, ramming his knee into his abdomen and grabbing him by the shoulders, spinning over his own and throwing Bloodstone back into the plateau they once fought on, which collapsed under the force.

"So why don't you do me a favor," Sodalite rose his arms to the sky, water spiraling up from the mud and forming into ice spikes, all hovering over him.

"And die?"

The spears spiraled down at him, air whistling as it was cut apart, the spears closing the distance in but a second or two.

Bloodstone dodged at shocking speeds, the stone around him being broken to pebbles as the spears broke through them, tearing apart his ground to stand on.

Bloodstone shot up through the air towards Sodalite, the spears redirecting and shooting at him instead, leaving streaks of ice through the air as the ice spears made U-turns to stab at him again.

Bloodstone grinned as he pulled back his scythe, swinging at Sodalite from the side as he reached him.

Sodalite jumped back, his metal maw's streams of water stabbing at Bloodstone, who dodged past those as well, swinging at him again.

Sodalite reached out, teeth gritting as he caught the scythe, blade digging into his shoulder.

Bloodstone's eyes widened, an image of Matrix doing this same thing in a previous fight flashing before his eyes.

Sodalite shot forward, slamming one palm into Bloodstone's chest and sending him flying back through the air with a shock wave.

Bloodstone caught himself in mid air, skidding slightly before looking up, seeing Sodalite before him, snarling as he pulled back one fist, slamming it into his face and throwing him spiraling to the ground, exploding into it.

"Honestly, I can't really explain this anger I have towards you..." Sodalite floated down.

"I'm usually a pretty chill guy, y'know? Heh, puns..." Sodalite smirked lightly before his expression returned to it's blankness.

"But something about you..." Sodalite's hair covered his eyes as Bloodstone pulled himself from the rubble.

 **"It makes even blood as cold as mine boil."  
**

* * *

 **Y'know I actually planned on fusing Lapis and Howlite a lot further down the line, but I wanted to so much and I've gotten a few reviews demanding it so I was nice.  
**

 **Sodalite is another one of my favorite fusions, right up there with Xenotime.**

 **So now everyone but Blue Diamond and Hematite are in a fusion.**

 **... Don't even think about it.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	54. Chapter 53: Phase 3 (Part 4)

**Thanks go to Kagehime-sama53, Dr. Salt PhD, Guest, StoryWriter2003, and KillJoyGem.**

 **As response to your question Guest, Blue Diamond is not stronger than Bloodstone. Even Hematite has said "Bloodstone is strong enough to hunt the Diamonds." Remember when Blue Diamond, Howlite, and the others first came back to earth, and BLue Diamond's Gem was cracked? Now Bloodstone is even stronger than then. Blue Diamond is avoiding fighting him because she knows she can't afford to die just yet.**

 **Now then,**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

Sodalite's head moved quickly from side to side, narrowly dodging punch after punch.

He back flipped, kicking at Bloodstone's chin, Bloodstone stepping back and avoiding it.

He grabbed onto Sodalite's leg, spinning and throwing Sodalite across their arena and into the cliff face Blue and Amazonite sat on.

Sodalite exploded from the cliff face, shooting at Bloodstone with lightning speed and ramming one fist into his abdomen, making him hunch over as he carried him across the battleground to the opposite cliff face, smashing him through it.

As Bloodstone was stuck in the wall, Sodalite roared, pulling back both fists and slamming them with rapid speed into Bloodstone again and again.

Sodalite jumped back, rising both arms as more water spiraled up from the earth and as he brought his arms down it stabbed down at Bloodstone.

Bloodstone held out one arm, a pulse blowing the water back and forcing Sodalite to bring up both arms as he was slide back.

Bloodstone shot forward, bringing back both fists and slamming them both into Sodalite's face, sending him whipping back across the ground, eventually stopping on his feet and skidding, putting his hands to the ground to stop himself as well.

Sodalite stood up straight, seeing Bloodstone shooting after him, pulling back one fist.

Sodalite held out his palm, stopping the punch as a black shock wave rocked the Kindergarten, and a crack came from Sodalite's hand as he winced.

"You call that a punch?!" Sodalite pulled back his free hand, slamming his fist into Bloodstone's cheek and keeping him their as Bloodstone glared at him, head forced to the side.

Bloodstone slammed his knee into Sodalite's chest, making Sodalite hunch over before he pulled up both fists, conjoining them and slamming them down on the back of his head, sending him exploding into the earth.

"I don't have anything to say to someone as pathetic as you." Bloodstone opened one palm to the crater, preparing to fire a blast from it before an explosion of water shot from it like some sort of geyser.

"What was that? I could hear you over the sound of my foot up your ass!" Sodalite brought both hands down towards Bloodstone, the water spiraling in ice shards down at him, stabbing through the ground and occasionally slashing across his skin.

Bloodstone shot up through the ice, shards piercing his skin.

He grabbed Sodalite by the face, Sodalite's wings ramming through his back as he pulled back a newly formed scythe, slashing into Sodalite's stomach and grinning mercilessly and the same spark of crazy could be seen in Sodalite's eyes, Bloodstone's fingers open enough to show his left eye.

"What don't you Crystal Clowns ever get about fighting me?!" Bloodstone slammed one foot into Sodalite's chest, sending him exploding into the earth, laying there and wincing as he attempted to get back up.

"You're going to die. You're all going to die." Bloodstone stood at the top of the hole, holding up a glowing black palm, an orb of black appearing at the end of it.

"Your attacks are worthless, like the Jasper. The one's you 'save' will die anyway, like the Tiger's Eye." One of Sodalite's eyes snapped open, rage appearing in it as he forced himself to his feet.

"And just like Matrix and Zeolite, your sacrifices..." Bloodstone's eyes widened, grin spreading from ear to ear.

"MEAN NOTHING!"

Bloodstone's eyes widened in pain, several green spikes shooting from his chest after piercing through his back.

"You talk to much, you know that?" Prehnite said, hate clear on their face. Their voice resembled Peridot's.

"And about things you know nothing about, to make it worse." Emerald's voice added, Peridot's cannon charging on their free arm.

"Heheheh... You think you can kill me?" Bloodstone grinned back at them, blood splattered across his face.

"We don't think, we know." Bloodstone looked up, seeing Hematite standing above him, drawing his Death God Slayer.

Bloodstone let out a hiss, eyes narrowing as the blade shinned.

"Because unlike you..." Opal moved from behind Hematite, taking aim on Bloodstone.

"We've got people to avenge!" Garnet shot from above, pulling back one flaming gauntlet.

"And we couldn't forgive ourselves for letting you keep living!" Garnet slammed her fist into Bloodstone's face, sending him smashing to the ground as Prehnite let go of him, jumping and picking up Sodalite, jumping to safety.

Flames exploded across the earth, Garnet slamming her flaming Gauntlets into Bloodstone again and again, letting Ruby's rage fuel her.

"So no matter how much it takes," Garnet yelled over the roar of the flames, Bloodstone screeching as his flesh was slowly burnt away.

"WE! WILL! DEFEAT YOU!"

The earth caved in, creating a massive crater as flames burst miles into the air.

All of the other Gems covered their faces, the heat from the fire nearly unbearable.

Blue Diamond landed next to them with Amazonite, setting down Steven, who quickly put a bubble around them.

Lava burst into the air from the crater, Steven watching with shock.

"Go Garnet!" He suddenly yelled, and the others were slightly surprised, before smirking, fist pumping with him.

"GO GARNET!" They all yelled in unison.

After who knows how long, the flames began to die away, and all that was left was a crater of smoldering ashes.

The bubble disappeared, and the Gems took a step forward, looking into the crater.

"Do you think he's..?" Steven glanced at Hematite, who simply stared into the crater.

"Honestly kid, I never really could imagine Bloodstone being dead. It just never seemed possible..." Hematite said, everyone listening.

"But the impossible seems to be something you Crystal Gems are good at doing." Hematite smiled lightly as he stared into the crater.

"Ah ah, us Crystal Gems." Steven put an arm around Hematite is a hug, and Hematite ruffled his hair.

"... Yeah... Us Crystal Gems..."

"W-well... Heheheh... Isn't that... Isn't that sweet..?"

All of the Gems looked quickly to the crater, watching in fear and slight surprise as Bloodstone floated from the craters, wings burnt to just bones, the left side of his face burnt to a skull.

"But I... I'll never die..." Bloodstone began to laugh, his soul aura roaring around him.

His laugh was raspy, souls screaming around him. "As long as I have all of these soldiers, you'll have to kill me a thousand times over." His laugh grew stronger, eyes widening as blood seeped from his scorched eye.

"Y-you're... You're no reaper..." Amazonite said, taking a step back.

"You're the Devil." Hematite's eyes narrowed, and Bloodstone grinned from ear to ear, nodding quickly.

"What would she think of you now, Bloodstone?"

"Do you honestly think I care?!"

"Not like this... Not anymore." Hematite shook his head.

"That's too bad, I almost wanted to keep Zeolite's promise." Hematite twirled his sword. "But now I can see..."

"The good Pyrite saw is gone."

Bloodstone just grinned, scythe appearing from his once again healed gem.

"Do you think you can stand against me, any of you?" Bloodstone questioned, the blood lines on his skin beginning to run across his skull and bone wings, along with the skeleton hand that held his scythe. "Honestly..."

"It doesn't matter what we think we can do." Sodalite stood, ice wolves and water sharks forming at the scale of a small army behind him.

"It's what we know we have to do."

 **Chapter 53: Phase 3 (Part 4)**

 **Hero  
**

 _"Because it doesn't take a monster to kill a monster. It takes a hero to kill a monster."_

* * *

"I... I have to get back..." Garnet reached slowly to the surface, gauntlet gone as her shades were missing as well.

"I can't let him... I can't let him hurt them..." Her hand fell back down, and her face hit the smoldering dirt.

"Damn it... I... I saw him die but... He just came back... It was like something else died in his place..." Garnet's vision faded in and out, and she could feel sleep's sweet embrace grabbing hold of her.

"I can't... I can't let him win..." Just as she closed her eyes, she could see multicolored, deformed beings walking towards her, reaching out to her...

"I... Can't..."

* * *

Bloodstone blasted away water creations, dodging around water spikes before jumping back, arrows shooting by where he once stood.

Bloodstone pulled back one arm, an orb of black appearing in his palm as he threw it across the battleground towards Opal, who's eyes widened as she jumped back.

The ball hit the ground in front of her, a massive explosion eating up the cliff she stood on!

"Opal!" Steven called out from the side-lines, eyes widening.

He saw Amethyst and Pearl fly from the smoke, each covered in scorch marks with eyes shut in pain.

As Steven ran towards them, Hematite spun down from above Bloodstone, his Death God Slayer slashing into the ground.

Hematite shot up quickly, slashing at Bloodstone as fast as he could, Bloodstone narrowly dodging.

Amazonite came from behind, slamming both clubs into his back and throwing him to the right, where Prehnite spun down, pulling back their cannon and ramming it into Bloodstone's face, slamming him into the ground, which cracked under him.

"I'll make you pay for what you've done." Prehnite said, the shadow of their hair covering their eyes before they fired, the green blast exploding into the earth, the green light engulfing the entire area!

Prehnite jumped back from the smoke, glaring into it. Green fires could be seen as the smoke cleared.

"Chock on it, you sick bastard..." Prehnite's hands clenched into fists.

Suddenly, Bloodstone shot from the ground behind them, grinning wickedly as he sliced down, preparing to slice them down the middle, preparing to slice right through Peridot's gem.

It was strange, Bloodstone's muscles seemed to spasm. It almost felt as if a spear had been rammed through his stomach, for only a moment.

Bloodstone flinched slightly, and Prehnite quickly spun around, firing into him with another Giga beam, throwing him across the Kindergarten.

Bloodstone shot from the beam into the sky, glaring down at Prehnite.

"Oh you are a special kind of bitch... Bastard... Whatever you are!" Bloodstone opened one palm towards Prehnite, another orb of black appearing in it.

As he prepared to fire, however, Hematite spun down in a blur of grey, slashing through his hand!

The white fired burned up the hand as it feel, and Hematite landed in a crouched form, holding his blade out to the side.

"..." Bloodstone's eye twitched lightly, both of them widened with pain.

"Well... That stung. A lot." Bloodstone said, black energy forming around his wrist and reforming his hand.

"Not gonna lie, Hematite, dick move." Bloodstone glared down at him, before his eyes widened.

"Gotcha." Sodalite smirked from behind him, holding up one palm as ice spikes pierced Bloodstone's gem!

"Maybe you shouldn't be so over confident next time." Sodalite said, the ice receding as Bloodstone fell to the earth.

But as he hit the ground, his soul aura reappeared, and a few souls were sucked into his gem, the hole sealing!

"Hahahahah..." Bloodstone floated to his feet, his scythe reappearing. Sodalite's eyes widened in shock.

"What did I tell ya'?" Bloodstone held out one palm to Sodalite.

"You can't kill me enough to beat me." Waves of black energy fired from his hand, racing towards Sodalite, who slashed them away with his signature ice spikes, standing with his arms crossed.

"We'll see." Sodalite grit his teeth, concentrating hard on knocking back those attacks.

Amazonite came down behind Bloodstone, slamming both clubs down on his skull.

Bloodstone's head was forced down slightly, and Amazonite's eyes widened as he turned his head slowly, bones creaking, to glare at her.

A grin appeared on his face, and he spun quickly, slashing Amazonite in two with his scythe!

"Amazonite!" Prehnite slashed at Bloodstone from a distance, blade extending to do so.

"Heheh..." Bloodstone turned quickly to face Prehnite, suddenly appearing before them and ramming his knee into their stomach, making them hunch over and cough blood.

He grabbed hold of Prehnite's back, spinning and throwing them over his shoulder into the earth at lightning speed.

Prehnite exploded into the ground, and in a flash, Peridot and Emerald lay there, groaning.

"Now, back to you." Bloodstone floated down to Amazonite's gems, raising one foot above them.

He suddenly jumped back, a green blade stabbing at him.

"You stay away from them..." Emerald limped from the crater, left eye glowing like 107's.

 _"Or I'll kill you."_

"Heheheh..." Bloodstone's grin reached from ear to ear. "Is that so?" His eyes widened.

"Then come on and try it, little emerald."

Emerald shot off the ground at Bloodstone, Bloodstone grinning in wait.

Emerald reached Bloodstone and suddenly disappeared, Bloodstone's eyes narrowing as he did so.

In an instant, he felt something wrap around his leg, and looked down to see it was Emerald's energy blade.

"Tag."

Emerald suddenly whipped his arm to the left, throwing Bloodstone on his whip into a boulder and smashing him through it.

"Now how about staying dead?" Emerald threw Bloodstone around rapidly, smashing him into Injectors, boulders, and small fires alike.

Bloodstone threw his scythe at Emerald, who side stepped it.

"Nope." Emerald said, smirking as he continued to throw Bloodstone, who roared in anger.

"P-ut m-e d-own t-his in-stant!" Bloodstone demanded, smashing face and Gem first into a boulder.

"Hey, I warned you, didn't I?" Emerald grinned, right eye closed as his left glowed.

Emerald threw Bloodstone back against a wall, his energy blade splitting apart and hovering above Bloodstone's gem.

Bloodstone's eyes opened slowly, widening as he saw the blades come down.

"Heh..." Emerald fell to his knees, panting as sweat rolled down his face.

"Get dunked on..." Emerald chuckled to himself, before hearing that same sound of souls being sucked into a broken Gem.

"I'm starting to get careless..." Bloodstone grinned at Emerald, who stood slowly, his energy blades appearing.

"But since you killed me... Allow me to return the favor." Bloodstone jumped across the land at Emerald, who's blades exploded out at him, jabbing at him as he easily dodged.

Bloodstone pulled back he scythe, slashing into Emerald's chest, the point of his scythe going into Emerald's chest and out through his back.

Emerald coughed blood, eyes widening in pain.

"Oh... So that's how that feels..." Emerald chuckled, grabbing hold of Bloodstone's scythe, not letting him pull away. "Damn."

"Not gonna lie... I really didn't wanna have to use this party trick o' mine..." Emerald said, his blades beginning to wrap around the two of them.

"What are you..." Bloodstone glared at Emerald who smiled at him in return.

"See you in hell, Devil."

But before any explosion could go off, a blue beam struck between them, breaking the blades and throwing them away from one another.

"Aw come on Emerald, you didn't think I'd let you go out like that, did you?" Blue Diamond landed between Emerald and Bloodstone, looking over her shoulder at Emerald, who shrugged, coughing blood.

"Guess not..." Emerald leaned back with a groan. "I'm tired... And by that I mean there's a hole in my chest so..." Emerald closed his eyes.

"Don't let that maniac smash me, alright?" And with that, Emerald was in his gem.

"I promise. But my promises aren't always followed... I'm kind of a liar." Blue Diamond shrugged. "But I'll give it a shot."

"Saving the emerald now? I'm honestly disappointed in you..." Bloodstone shook his head.

"You realize two minutes ago said Emerald killed you, right?" Blue Diamond arched a brow at Bloodstone, who looked disgruntled to say the least.

"DIE!" He suddenly roared, throwing one arm forward and firing a wave of black energy at Blue, who fired a blue beam in return.

The beams exploded against one another, colliding like tides and smashing against one another, each trying to force the other down.

Bloodstone laughed, watching Blue Diamond struggle, wincing as she held up both arms to try to push the blast further to Bloodstone.

"You're weak, Diamond!" Bloodstone laughed, Blue Diamond sliding back as the blasts met her hands, pushing her back as her palms were burning.

Bloodstone's concentration was suddenly thrown off, a green beam slamming into his side.

"Just die already!" Peridot yelled from the side, firing another Giga beam into Bloodstone, her cannon cracking similarly to her fight with Lignite.

Bloodstone growled, glaring over at her as he began to be pushed back.

"That... Is..." Bloodstone took hold of the blast, suddenly throwing it upwards into the air.

"ENOUGH!"

Peridot and Blue Diamond covered their eyes from the explosion that lit up the sky.

"Don't you get it? No matter what you do, I'll always come back." Bloodstone walked slowly towards Peridot, his scythe appearing in hand.

"I am eternal. I am forever." Bloodstone grabbed Peridot by the throat, lifting her from the ground.

"You're a clod." Peridot winced, trying to pry away Bloodstone's hand.

"Nothing more, nothing less." Bloodstone's eyes widened in anger.

He growled, pulling back one fist, ramming it into Peridot's stomach, making her eyes widen as her pupils disappeared.

Blood seeped from her mouth as Bloodstone dropped her, pulling back one leg and slamming it into her abdomen, throwing her back across the Kindergarten and smashing into the rubble of the ship.

"Say hi to Matrix for me." Bloodstone grinned from ear to ear, and Peridot's eyes widened at his words.

Bloodstone fired another wave of energy at Peridot, who struggled to sit up.

 _Jasper... Matrix..._

Peridot, her back against a mound of ship rubble, watched the blast approach.

 _I'm too weak... I can't win..._

Peridot glanced to her side, and her eyes widened.

Orange shards. Burning orange shards.

"..." That blast sure was taking it's time.

She scooped up the shards, the orange fire around them leaving her gloves unscathed.

 _No... I made it this far. If he thinks I'll roll over and die..._

With the energy of an old friend, Peridot found herself rocketing into the air, Bloodstone's eyes widening as she flew down towards him.

Head first.

 _He's got another thing coming!_

"Suck on this, you lumpy," Bloodstone stumbled back.

"Clumpy!"

Peridot slammed visor first into Bloodstone's face, glaring into his eyes for but a moment.

"CLOD!"

Bloodstone was thrown to the ground, Peridot hitting the ground as well, rolling slightly but keeping those shards close.

Her visor was shattered, and some blood ran from bruises on her forehead.

"Nyahahah..." She laughed her old evil laugh, looking tired as Bloodstone rose slowly.

"... That was... Certainly unexpected." Bloodstone held his forehead, wincing.

"I'm... Honestly impressed." Bloodstone stood over her, and she forced herself to her feet.

"I'm not even finished..." Bloodstone didn't hear Peridot, looking at those shards she held.

"Heh..." Bloodstone laughed quietly, his grin spreading across his face. "Hahah..."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Peridot's eyes narrowed, and in an instant, her only remaining boot was ramming into Bloodstone's chest, Bloodstone's eyes widening.

"Shut up." She told him firmly, pressing the button above her boot.

Just like the last boot, Bloodstone was rocketed back across the Kindergarten, disappearing in the distance before an explosion rocked the earth.

Peridot panted, falling to her hands and knees. "How's that for impressive..? Dirtbag..."

Everything was suddenly in a black lighting, and Peridot looked up to see the orb of black falling towards her.

As it fell, a flash of blue appeared before it, smashing it aside.

Sodalite glared at Bloodstone as the blast exploded in the distance, and Blue Diamond appeared next to Peridot, scooping her up.

"Come on, we're go-..." Blue Diamond stopped mid sentence, seeing the shards in Peridot's hands.

"... We're going." She finished, jumping away from the battle area.

"Looks like it's just you and me again, fusion." Bloodstone grinned at Sodalite, before another Gem landed behind him.

"Don't forget me, Reaper." Hematite said, blades in hand.

"Are you sure you don't want to run and hide, Hematite? This all seems like it might be too much for you." Bloodstone grinned over his shoulder at Hematite, who's eyes narrowed.

"Just shut up and stay dead, Reaper."

Hematite and Sodalite shot off at Bloodstone at the same time, Bloodstone dodging around wing stabs and sword slashes alike.

"Is this the best you can do?!" Bloodstone caught Hematite's right blade, smashing it in his hand and sending shards of metal flying through the air.

Bloodstone back flipped, ice wings stabbing at where he once was. His bone wings stabbed down at Sodalite, who's wings blocked quickly.

As Bloodstone fended off Sodalite with his wings, his fended off Hematite with his scythe.

Bloodstone held up his scythe, blocking one of Hematite's slashes. He threw his scythe up, making Hematite stumble back as he shot forward, ramming the hilt of his scythe into Hematite's chest, sending him exploding back across the Kindergarten!

Bloodstone spun around, opening one palm and firing a beam of black into Sodalite, who jumped back in surprise, holding up his arms in an X as his wings also formed a shield in front of him, the beam forcing him back across the ground.

Bloodstone jumped up, slamming one fist down on the wings, smashing them apart and throwing Sodalite down into the ground, creating a small crater.

"Heheheh..." Bloodstone held out one palm to the crater, and his palm glowed black, red electricity jolting around it.

"Bye bye now."

With multiple explosions, beams of red and black fired rapidly from Bloodstone's palm into Sodalite, sending him further and further into the earth!

"NOW YOU PAY FOR THE SHAME YOU CAUSED ME, FILTHY DOG!"

The roar of the explosion drowned out Sodalite's roars, his body being tossed around violently with each blast.

He could feel himself fading, the fusion weakening.

 _Damn it..._ Sodalite thought, a glowing white light enveloping him in all of the black and red.

"Hahahah... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Bloodstone's firing slowed to a stop, and he waited for the smoke to clear.

There in the crater laid Lapis and Howlite, each looking beaten to a bloody pulp.

"Aw, still alive?" Bloodstone held up one palm, an orb of black appearing in it.

Howlite's left eye forced itself open, blood running down his face. He stood slowly, panting as he stood to his full height, holding his arms out to the side as if to use himself as Lapis's shield.

"H-Howlite..?" Lapis said weakly from behind him, eye struggling to open.

"Go ahead, Reaper." Howlite panted, smirking at Bloodstone.

"Fire, see what happens." Howlite's eyes widened, pupils shrunk as he grinned at Bloodstone.

Bloodstone hesitated for only a moment, that same look of minor fear appearing on his face for a split second.

"... Heh, fine then. You want to die that badly?" Bloodstone threw the ball into the air, holding up his scythe, the ball landing on it.

"I'll cut you apart."

The ball seeped into his scythe, and he pulled it back, red lightning striking around him.

Howlite grit his teeth as he awaited the attack. "Lapis, get out of here..."

"W-what?" Lapis sat up, leaning against the side of the crater.

"Get. Going." Howlite said, keeping his eyes on the scythe Bloodstone pulled back, red electricity jumping around it as black energy ran across it.

"But-" Lapis was about to argue, when Blue Diamond appeared next to her, scooping her up.

"H-hey, what are you doing?!" Lapis said, Blue Diamond jumping into the air, "Put me down!"

"We've gotta go." Blue Diamond said seriously, Howlite watching as they flew away, Lapis flailing all the way.

"It'll work out... Trust me..."

"Heheheh..." Bloodstone's eyes widened in manic glee as he watched them fly away.

"Not so fast, you two." He swung his scythe at them, firing a gigantic slash across the sky at them!

"?!" Howlite's eyes widened in shock. "NO!"

Lapis and Blue Diamond each looked back in surprise as the blast raced towards them.

Suddenly, Howlite shot up, holding his arms out to the side in a Gem shield once again.

His eyes widened in pain, the slash digging into his chest, abdomen and right shoulder, leaving a diagonal slash across his upper body.

"HOWLITE!"

Howlite fell slowly to the ground, eyes wide and pupil-less.

His arms reached to the sky as he fell, blood seeping from his mouth, eyes, and the gaping wound in his upper body.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Howlite hit the ground with a light thud, bouncing once. His blood pooled below him, and he could feel his grip on his physical form fading.

Bloodstone's laughter was dulled as his senses faded in and out.

"This is the end." Bloodstone held out one palm to Howlite's unmoving body, his expression hardening.

As Bloodstone prepared to fire, however, he heard a groaning behind him.

"Huh?" He looked over his shoulder, his eyes widening as a horde of Cluster Experiments sauntered towards him.

"Get back!" He blasted into their ranks. "All of you! I will massacre you!"

Bloodstone slashed and blasted them away, but they kept coming, grabbing onto him and attempting to stop him, to drag him down into their masses.

 _Heh... Bloodstone is probably the reason a lot of those gems are in those Clusters... He deserves what he's getting..._

Howlite's eyes closed, and as he was about to let go of his form, for the first time in who knows how long, he felt a presence.

No, many _many_ presences.

"Howlite..." The voices rumbled, and Howlite opened his eyes, finding himself floating in black plain of nothingness, thousands of Gems floating before him.

Over them, a gigantic cluster of Gem shards floated.

"What the..?" Howlite wondered aloud.

"Howlite... The Reaper has many lives." They spoke through one Gem standing in front of them, multicolored and gigantic. It crouched down to be eye level with Howlite.

"That's accurate." Howlite crossed his arms. "What's your point, whatever you are?"

"I am... Well, you would refer to me as the Cluster." It spoke in a deep, calm voice.

"And my point is that you will never be able to kill him enough times. You and the other Gems fighting him. But we, I, can help."

"How can you help? If you come out of the ground to fight him, the world could break apart." Howlite arched a brow at the Cluster.

"We will not fight him... You will fight him."

"In case you didn't notice, I was just almost cut in two. How am I supposed to keep fighting?" Howlite said, slightly angered.

"As we said, the reaper has many lives. He has become God like." The Cluster said. "But if he is truly a God... Then you should be devouring him."

Howlite's eyes widened. "W-well... I mean... I can't exactly do that anymore." Howlite crossed his arms. "Just about killed me last time."

"Ah, yes... One Gem cannot handle that power... But many..." Howlite looked up at the Cluster in surprise.

"Please, put the weight on us." The Cluster said.

"And bring him to justice for what he's done, Howlite."

* * *

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Bloodstone roared, an explosion of energy throwing the experiments away from him.

"I have no time to deal with you bunch of monst-" Bloodstone stopped mid sentence, watching as the crater Garnet put him in earlier seemed to glow with a rainbow light.

"What on earth..?" Bloodstone's eyes narrowed as he watched the light reach high into the sky, shooting down towards him.

"?!" He held up his scythe to block, but the energy suddenly jumped over him, rocketing past him and into Howlite's crater.

"What?!" Bloodstone watched as it all seemed to be sucked into the crater, the energy roaring as it slowly disappeared into something Bloodstone couldn't see from his position.

"What is going on?!" Bloodstone jumped to the crater, but just before he reached it, a pillar of light exploded into the air!

He jumped back, eyes widening as a howl shook the land, all of the Crystal Gems and Cluster Experiments watching in awe as other colors shot up through the white pillar, the clouds being blown away from the Kindergarten, the sun shinning through.

"No... What... What is this?!" Bloodstone held up one arm to cover his eyes from the shinning light, a wolf head appearing in the light and howling.

He jumped back, watching as the pillar suddenly exploded away.

All was silent.

And then there were footsteps.

 _Battle Against a True Hero (Undertale) -Dual Mix_ By _theultimateonejpsx (Original by TobyFox, Metal Cover by RichaadEB)_ Began playing in the background.

"Well... I don't really know what to say..." Howlite walked slowly from the crater, bulked once again, his shaggy hair reaching his shoulders. Lines of multiple colors ran across his skin.

His eyes were closed.

"But I know what I have to do now..." His eyes opened slowly, colors running rampant in his them.

Bloodstone took a step back, fear in his eyes. "Honestly, I don't think I've ever had to try this hard. I don't think I've ever really cared this much about anything..."

Howlite shook his head. "Ive never been one to protect. Never really cared too much for too many people." Howlite shook his head, multicolored lightning striking behind him.

"But now... I can feel a million Gems, all thinking and feeling as one. And they're all screaming for one thing." Howlite pointed to Bloodstone, eyes narrowed.

"This isn't just about us anymore, is it?" Howlite questioned. "You'll kill everyone..."

"Humans, Gems... Everything is going to fall before you... Earth, Homeworld... You're really screwed up, y'know that? Heh..." Howlite shook his head. "I know you do..."

"But there's something in your eyes. Deep down in there. Pleading, begging me to stop this now." Howlite's eyes closed, and he took a deep breath.

"So just this once, just for you, I'll play the hero." Howlite frowned. "So now..."

"Reaper, no, **WHATEVER you are..."** Howlite's hands clenched into fists. "For the sake of everything and everyone..." His eyes snapped open.

 **"I, Howlite, will STRIKE. YOU. DOWN."  
**

* * *

 **BADA BOOM!  
**

 **And just like that, Howlite the Protector is born!  
**

 **The end is getting closer and closer, and now that I'm on Christmas break, and have already finished the next chapter, I will most likely be updating again rather quickly. Possibly tomorrow, if I get enough reviews. I like to make sure a lot of people have seen one chapter before posting the next.**

 **So please, if you want a fast update, Favorite, Follow, and Review!**

 **God that makes me sound like a prick...**

 **XWolf26, out**


	55. Chapter 54: Phase 3 (Part 5)

**Thanks go to Kagehime-sama53, KillJoyGem, S U fan, PretzelNinja, Guest 73, and The Weeping Prophet.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

Bloodstone almost seemed to be hyperventilating, his eyes wide as he stepped back from the God Eater.

"This... This can't be... This is all just a bad dream!" He said, panic clear in his voice.

"Yes that's true..." Howlite smirked, holding up one palm, multiple colors swirling in it.

" _And you're never waking up_."

Bloodstone jumped back from the blast, firing his own beam into it. The attacks collided, struggling against one another for a moment before becoming unstable, exploding into the air.

Howlite shot from the dust, pulling back one fist and gritting his teeth.

"THIS IS FOR EVERYONE YOU'VE EVER HURT, REAPER!"

Howlite rammed his fist into Bloodstone's face, firmly planting his feet on the ground and twisting his body, throwing Bloodstone across the Kindergarten and smashing through the ship's rubble.

Howlite opened one palm to the rubble, beams of blue, white, gold, orange, purple, red, and green shooting from his palm and racing towards the rubble.

The rubble was alight with explosions, everyone watching in awe as the sky was lit up.

"Now fade away."

The rubble burned in multiple colors, Howlite waiting silently.

In an instant, the rubble was exploding into the air, a tornado of black energy whipping it around.

"IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO, GOD EATER?!" Bloodstone demanded to know.

"Hmph." Howlite crossed his arms, smirking.

"We'll see."

 **Chapter 54: Phase 3 (Part 5)**

 **Howlite The Protector  
**

 _"This hero thing doesn't suit me..."  
_

* * *

107 smashed Halite down onto a boulder, the boulder exploding under him.

107 watched as Halite attempted to get back up, panting as blood ran from multiple wounds.

 _Damn it... This is a waste of time..!_ 107 looked up to the ship once again, worry flickering in him once again.

"Halite... I apologize for taking away Cuprite." 107's Proto-Blade appeared over his left arm. "But I cannot let this go on any longer."

"Huff... Then come on..." Halite smirked, sweat running with blood down his face, his axe appearing in his hands.

The two shot off the ground at one another, slashing by each other.

The two stood at opposite ends, backs facing each other.

Halite fell to his knees, a wound opening in his chest, blood seeping from it.

"There, it's do-" 107's eyes widened, his right arm falling, sliced off at the bicep.

"... Ow..." His left eye twitched, and he resisted the urge to grab his wound and jump around in agony.

"A present... You son of a bitch..." Halite grabbed his left forearm, feeling the slash deep in his gem.

He fell face first into the sand, eyes closing as he poofed away, leaving a cracked Gem there in the sand.

107's cannon floated over it as 107 walked back towards the ship.

The cannon fired.

* * *

Connie back flipped, a blade going under her as she landed behind the second Emerald, stabbing through his back before slicing out to the side, watching as he poofed away.

She jumped back, the second Emerald jumping through the smoke of the first and slicing at Connie, catching a piece of her hair.

She slid back, parrying slash after slash from the Emerald.

In the next instant, a beam of green shot through the side of the ship, blowing through the Emerald, obliterating him and his Gem.

"Whoa..." Connie looked to see 107 standing atop his skull cannon, jumping in through the hole it made.

"... Uh oh..." The Peridot driving gulped, spinning in her chair to face them.

"You alright?" 107 glanced at Connie.

"I'm fine but... your arm..." Connie said, staring at 107's arm.

Or, where it should have been.

"I will be fine." 107 extended his glowing green hand to the Peridot.

"Some time in my Gem will fix it."

* * *

"What... Is that?" Amethyst questioned, watching Howlite and Bloodstone collide.

"It looks like the God Eater..." Blue Diamond said, and the other gems turned to look at her, as if to say "God what now?"

"Oh... Right... You all don't know about that..." She laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

"It's basically what almost killed Howlite in our last fight with Bloodstone."

"What?!" Steven said.

"We've gotta stop him from using it then!" Lapis said.

"No, something's different..." Hematite said, watching the battle, feeling what was going on it Howlite.

"You're right, before his energy was only white... Now he has all of these other colors, and a few of his features are different..." Blue Diamond stroked her imaginary beard. "Curious..."

"His gem isn't taking the strain." Hematite said, and everyone looked surprised.

"Then who is?" Pearl questioned.

"There's only one other being here..." Hematite looked into the crater that the light had shot from.

* * *

Garnet awoke to Cluster Experiments carrying her from the crater.

"W-what's... What's going on..?" She choked.

They didn't respond, they just kept moving.

* * *

Bloodstone's fist slammed into Howlite's, a shock wave blowing down Injectors.

Howlite pulled back his other fist, slamming it into the side of Bloodstone's face, jarring him before he rammed his knee into his chest, grabbing him by the back and shooting back first towards the ground, pulling him over his shoulder and exploding with him into the ground.

Bloodstone was thrown from the dust, beams of multiple colors chasing him and smashing into him as he went.

Bloodstone hit the ground, skidding before slowing to a stop.

He stood slowly, panting. "How?! How is this possible?!" Bloodstone demanded to know. "You shouldn't be able to handle that form anymore!"

"What can I say, reaper?" Howlite shrugged, smirking.

"Somebody out there really wants you dead." His smirk became a grin as he sauntered from the dust plum he'd thrown Bloodstone from.

"This won't be like last time..!" Bloodstone's hands clenched into fists, scythe's appearing floating above him. He floated into the air in front of them.

"I'LL CUT YOU DOWN!"

The scythes slashed violently, energy blades shooting at Howlite, who side stepped each and every one.

"Go ahead, keep trying." Howlite appeared before Bloodstone, ramming his fist into Bloodstone's abdomen, making him cough blood.

"All the more fun for me."

He pulled back his fist, watching as Bloodstone slowly floated back towards the ground.

As he did, Howlite pulled up one leg, slamming it down on Bloodstone's back and sending him rocketing down into the earth.

Bloodstone pushed himself up, face in the dirt.

Howlite came down, smashing his foot into the back of Bloodstone's head and smashing his Gem against the stone.

Howlite kicked Bloodstone aside, watching as his Gem healed itself.

"Hm..." Howlite grinned, hair covering his eyes. "Let's see how many times I have to kill you before you stay dead, shall we?"

 _Disappear_ by _Bullet for my Valentine_ began playing in the background.

Bloodstone grit his teeth, jumping back and aiming both palms at Howlite, firing a massive wave of power at him.

Howlite held out both hands, stopping the blast before he began to slide back.

Howlite grit his teeth, suddenly throwing his hands up into the air, sending the beam flying up into the sky.

Bloodstone's eyes widened, and he watched as Howlite shot off at him, pulling back one fist and ramming it into his gem, a shattering sound being heard as Bloodstone was thrown back.

As Bloodstone lay on the ground, Gem reforming, Howlite opened one palm to him, firing a barrage of multicolored orbs into him, explosions rocking the Kindergarten.

Howlite placed one hand in his pocket as he fired from his palm, waiting for Bloodstone to break free of the attack chain.

Bloodstone shot forward from the smoke, slamming one fist into Howlite's face and throwing him back.

As Howlite skidded back, Bloodstone shot forward, slamming his fists repeatedly into Howlite's chest and abdomen, roaring as he did so.

"I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOU!"

Howlite suddenly slammed his head down onto Bloodstone's skull, making Bloodstone's combo stop as he was thrown down to his knees.

Howlite kicked him square in the chest, throwing him back across their arena, where he skidded to a stop, slashing energy blades at Howlite with a new scythe.

Howlite shot forward at him, dodging around the attacks as if they were nothing.

He pulled back his left fist as he reached Bloodstone, throwing it forward at him, Bloodstone blocking by making an X with his arms, skidding back.

He formed his scythe, swinging rapidly at Howlite, who dodged around it, his cheek being sliced open.

Howlite reached forward, grabbing Bloodstone by the face and slamming him into the ground.

Bloodstone placed one hand to Howlite's chest, firing a wave of black energy threw it, Howlite's eyes widening in surprise.

Bloodstone pulled back one fist, ramming it into Howlite's face and throwing him back through the air.

Bloodstone stood slowly, and he watched as Howlite fell to the ground, hands clenched into fists.

That rainbow energy seemed to form around his wound, healing it.

Bloodstone grit his teeth, watching as Howlite stood with that same smirk.

"You're gonna have to hit harder than that, reaper." Howlite grinned, hands in his pockets as he shot off the ground at Bloodstone.

He rammed his knee into Bloodstone's chest, his metal maw appearing as he chomped down on Bloodstone's skull and Gem, a shattering sound being heard once again as he threw Bloodstone over his shoulder with his teeth.

Bloodstone bounced once before beginning to regenerate.

"That expression you're wearing..." Bloodstone glared at Howlite as he sat up.

"That's the face of someone who's been killed three times already." Howlite grinned, the ground around him freezing as ice ran up his left arm, forming a point at his hand and shoulder.

"Let's make it a fourth, shall we?"

Bloodstone roared, jumping high into the air and bringing both hands high above his head, red electricity surging around them.

"DIE!" Bloodstone brought his hands down, red lightning striking down at Howlite.

"I'm beginning to think you don't like me." Howlite watched the lightning come down, holding up his iced hand.

The ice came out from his shoulder, sticking into the ground.

The lightning struck his ice arm, surging through it down into the earth.

Howlite was alight with red electricity, eyes closed as he grit his teeth, wounds and burns appearing on him just for that rainbow light to heal them.

The light began to fade, and Howlite kept his eyes closed, a smirk crawling across his face.

"Well, that almost hurt a lot worse." Bloodstone seemed to short circuit, eye twitching as he grumbled angrily.

"Damn it..." Bloodstone's hands clenched into fists.

"DAMN YOU!"

Howlite just snickered, holding up one palm to Bloodstone.

"You are being very rude today..."

Pillars of ice shot from the earth at Bloodstone, not nearly as nimble Sodalite's ice attacks.

Bloodstone easily dodged, looking down to see Howlite rocketing up to him.

"Stop doing that!" Bloodstone aimed down at Howlite, firing as he shot up at him.

"No." Howlite said, suddenly standing behind Bloodstone.

"W-wha?!" Bloodstone spun around, taking an ice spear through the Gem and plummeting back to the ground.

"That's four, is it not?" Howlite grinned as Bloodstone bounced once, gritting his teeth as he looked up at him.

"That is the LAST TIME you kill m-" Howlite came rocketing down, slamming his foot into Bloodstone's Gem and smashing it once again.

"Did you say something?" Howlite jumped back from Bloodstone as he sat up, growling at Howlite.

* * *

"That's five times!" Steven exclaimed. "Howlite's gonna have him beat in no time!" _Disappear_ faded out as he spoke.

"Hm..." Peridot looked at her screen. "I ran some calculations. Judging by how many souls are sucked his gem each time it's broken how many soldiers were consumed, Howlite will have to kill Bloodstone..."

Peridot carried a number across her screen, and a number popped up. She groaned.

"Ninety five more times..." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is beginning to look closer and closer to impossible."

"It's looked impossible for awhile now." Pearl said.

"Well Howlite's got him on the ropes, I'm sure he can kill him a million times if he needs to." Amethyst said, watching Howlite kick Bloodstone into the air only to appear above him and elbow him in the skull down into the earth.

"But how long can Howlite keep this up?" Hematite wondered aloud, watching, or really feeling, the fight intently.

"..." Peridot looked to the shards in her hands.

 _Matrix..._

* * *

"Hey, buddy."

 _Huh..?_

"Come on, get up."

 _What is that..?_

"Come on idiot, I want to go home."

Orange eyes opened slowly to blistering bright light.

"W-" He broke into a fit of coughing, finding sitting up difficult. Even his vocal cords felt stiff.

As if he'd been dead.

"About time." Lignite said, arms crossed as a small child Matrix could only guess was Terri sat on his shoulders, patting his head.

"L-Lignite..?" Matrix coughed, covering his mouth with one fist.

"Space Christ Matrix, who kicked your ass?" Lignite offered Matrix a hand, helping him up.

"How is this... Where are we?" Matrix glanced around.

They seemed to be standing in a purely white room.

"Why don't you look into your memories and take a wild stab at where we are." Lignite said condescendingly, and Matrix arched a brow at him before shrugging.

Matrix's eyes widened. Golden fire. Falling rubble. That look of 'oh sh!t' on Bloodstone's face.

"Oh..." Matrix put a hand on his head.

"Eyup, welcome to limbo." Lignite gestured to the room around him.

"Okay but... Why are we here?" Matrix arched a brow at him.

"Well I'm here because after I died I ended up floating in some weird spacial place with this disembodied voice nagging at me. He told me that if I did something for him, I'd get to go wherever Terri's going." Lignite looked up at the little girl on his shoulders, smiling as she smiled down at him.

"Which is why you're here." Terri said, looking back to Matrix, who looked confused.

"What do you mean? What am I supposed to do?" Matrix asked.

"Well, you see-"

"MATRIX?!"

Matrix looked to his right, suddenly being tackled by a jolt of... Well, something.

He looked down to see a head of blonde hair burying it's face in his chest.

"T-... Thea..?"

"Oh, yeah." Lignite shrugged. "She's here too."

"Don't forget about us!" Matrix looked past Lignite, watching as Tiger, Jasper, and Zeolite came into view.

Matrix found himself smiling as he was being hugged by both Thea and Tiger, Jasper and Zeolite smiling with crossed arms as they watched.

"Yeah no that's cool it's not like I was explaining something." Lignite crossed his arms.

"Don't be so mean, Liggy." Terri puffed out her cheeks.

"Heh... Fine, fine." Lignite smiled lightly.

"So uh... Happy to see me?" Matrix laughed lightly as Thea pulled back from the hug.

"Un-uh." Thea shook her head, and Matrix's eyes widened.

"What do you mean you aren't happy to see me?!"

"It's too early!"

"It's been five thousand years!"

"Yes but you've still got more things you could have done!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

"AS I WAS SAYING."

They both looked to Lignite, who rolled his eyes.

"You're here because you've got some serious unfinished business." Lignite crossed his arms.

"Like what? I was on good terms with everybody, well not Howlite but... I killed Bloodsto-" Matrix noticed Lignite was shaking his head.

"... Oh there is no way..." Matrix's shoulders sunk, and Lignite nodded.

"Yep, crazy bastard survived." Lignite shrugged. "Glad I don't have to fight him. Well, not conventionally, anyway..."

"... What do you mean?" Matrix said, things becoming serious once more.

"Apparently, you're getting a do-over." Lignite shrugged, and Matrix's eyes widened.

"... What?"

* * *

Peridot set down Matrix's shards, looking back to the fight.

Howlite smashed both fists down on Bloodstone's head, sending him spiraling down into the earth.

"Burn." Howlite held out one palm, firing a giant rainbow beam down into Bloodstone, obliterating him.

He landed before the crater, watching as Bloodstone reformed.

"How many times is that? Nine? Ten? I think I've lost count." Howlite shrugged. "Oh well."

Bloodstone stood, scythe appearing in hand.

"That all being said..." Howlite jumped back, Bloodstone's scythe swinging at him.

"You uh... You really like swinging that thing around, huh?" Howlite panted.

 ** _Howlite, you need to finish this._**

 _I'm trying! What's going on?! Shouldn't you have like an ungodly amount of power?  
_

 ** _My incubation has been shut down for awhile now. I'm not nearly as powerful as I should be, and I don't have enough power to keep this up much longer._**

 _Oh you have got to be kidding me...  
_

 ** _You've got another ten minutes, maximum._**

 _Ten minutes? I can work with that.  
_

"Starting to get tired, freak?" Bloodstone grinned.

"..." An ice spike shot from behind Bloodstone, aiming for his Gem.

He spun around, smashing the spike. As he turned back around to face Howlite, Howlite was inches from him, pulling back one fist and ramming it into his gem, sending him exploding across the Kindergarten with a sonic boom.

Bloodstone slammed into a rock wall, which collapsed over him, crushing his body.

Howlite floated up, bringing one hand into the air above him. It glowed, and multi-colored beams fired rapidly from Howlite's hand into the rubble, rocking it with explosions.

Howlite panted, sweat running down his face as he waited for Bloodstone to reappear.

Another black slash flew from the rubble, and Howlite's eyes widened. He quickly moved to the side, his pupils shrinking in pain as he felt it slash through his left arm.

Howlite growled, holding the stump that was once his left arm. "Whatever..." Howlite panted.

 ** _Howlite, we can he-_**

 _Save it! I need all the energy I can get, and as of right now, I don't need that arm.  
_

"Starting to slow down, are we, Howlite? Heheheh..." Bloodstone stood atop the rubble, grinning at Howlite.

"I knew it. All of your power is always temporary. No matter how much you borrow, you always have to give it back with interest." Bloodstone's eyes widened, his grin from ear to ear.

"Are you ready to die, fre-"

Ice spikes suddenly impaled Bloodstone and his gem, sending him back to shards only to heal once again.

"Ya hear that? It's the sound of no one caring." Howlite grinned at Bloodstone as he reformed.

"You're going to regret every single time you've hit me by the end of this..." Bloodstone threatened.

"Cuddle Bucket, you could do the worst possible things to me and I'd still grin every time I think of that 'He just punched me' face you put on whenever I strike you."

Bloodstone snarled, shooting off the ground at Howlite, pulling back one fist and throwing it at him, only for Howlite to jump over him, opening his mouth and firing a blast into Bloodstone, obliterating him once more.

"How many times is that? Fourteen?" Howlite arched a brow at Bloodstone as he reformed. "Come on, you've gotta be keeping score."

Bloodstone panted, glaring at Howlite. "Like I'd give you the satisfaction."

"That's the spirit!"

* * *

"Look, you know that some Gem shards can live on. That's why there are certain shards that can form limbs or take over objects." Lignite said, placing his hands in his pockets.

"If a gem is determined enough to live on or if they need to finish something important, their shards can live on. So guess what your shards are doing right now?" A screen appeared behind Lignite, showing the burning orange shards sat next to each other.

"You know how often a Gem can even start doing what yours is still doing in shards?" Lignite questioned.

"How often?"

"This is the first time."

"... Wow..."

"You're really something special, Matrix." Jasper smirked. "Don't take that for granted, alright?"

Matrix nodded. A smirk appeared on his lips.

"And with all of our help, we can send you back. With all of the will we all have for you to keep living, with all of our strength, we can give you one more chance." Zeolite said, smirking.

"But, unfortunately..." Lignite looked up to the screen, which switched to Bloodstone and Howlite spiraling into the sky, waling on one another.

"Bloodstone's improved himself a little since your last meeting." Zeolite said, eyes narrowing.

"Damn Howlite..." Lignite muttered to himself, watching with wide eyes.

"Why did he ever listen to me if he had that kind of power..?" He said below a whisper.

"So how am I supposed to fight Skele-Stone exactly? I could barely fight him when his Gem was cracked, let alone like this." Matrix looked down.

"Matrix, you beat me normally and as a spider monster." Lignite said.

"You fought that giant wolf with a cracked Gem." Thea said.

"You smacked sense into me on multiple occasions." Tiger smirked.

"You defeated Malachite on your own." Jasper smirked as well.

"You even stood up to me and Hematite when we were fused way back when." Zeolite grinned.

"You honestly don't think you can stand up to that clown?" Terri arched a brow at him.

"Come on Matrix, you can't just sit here." Tiger shook her head.

"You've got all those people waiting for you." Thea smiled.

"But..." Matrix looked down.

"Oh please Matrix, We can wait." Thea said.

"And besides, I don't think Peridot would like for you to stay up here." Thea grinned, nudging Matrix with her elbow.

"Y-you knew about that?!"

"Ha! I watched with popcorn. It was nice to see you happy. Now go on, go." Thea pushed Matrix towards the screen, Tiger jumped next to her and doing the same.

Zeolite did the same, Jasper joining as well. Lignite rolled his eyes, begrudgingly joining in.

"Get out there and teach that reaper how it feels to die!" As the Gem's pushed him, their gems glowed.

Matrix was at first being pushed, but soon enough, he began to move his own legs, the light of their gems seeping into his back as he walked, each of them keeping their hands on his back.

Matrix stood halfway through the screen, and he stopped, looking over his shoulder back at them. "All of you..." He smiled. "Thank you."

They all smiled in return as he stepped through the portal, a few of them waving.

"And don't come back until this war is over!" Tiger yelled through the portal.

"Yeah!" Jasper followed.

"..." Thea smiled sadly, hands collapsed together in front of her.

"... So, what now?" Zeolite wondered aloud.

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Jasper sat in an invisible chair before the screen. "But I think this'll be pretty good."

Zeolite smirked, standing next to her.

Tiger jumped into a chair as well, and Thea stood at the side as well.

Lignite turned to leave, but Terri tugged on his hair. "Ow!" He looked up at her, and she pointed to the screen.

"..." Lignite sighed. "Fine."

* * *

Howlite panted, landing on the ground as blood seeped from new cuts.

"Alright... So maybe ten minutes wasn't enough time..." Howlite said between pants, feeling his energy wearing thin.

"But I've still got enough power for one last shot... So for the love of Space God..." Howlite looked up, watching Bloodstone shot down at him.

He opened his jaws wide, rainbow energy being sucked like a vacuum into them.

"JUST DIE ALREADY!"

Howlite fired, an overwhelming beam firing from his jaws and racing towards Bloodstone.

Bloodstone was engulfed, roaring in agony as he was burnt away.

Howlite panted, the beam fading as he fell to his knees.

He returned to his scrawny form, hair going back to it's normal size as the colors faded from him.

"Did... Did that do it?" Pearl questioned.

"I... I don't know." Hematite watched with anticipation.

"Oh, come on. Did you really think I'd die like that?"

All of them looked to the reforming Gem in front of Howlite, still smoking.

"It hurt like hell, I'll give you that. But you've failed, God Eater." Bloodstone walked slowly to Howlite, pulling back one foot and slamming it into his chest, sending him rocketing back to the others, skidding through the ground.

"Ugh..." Howlite groaned, one eye opening to look at the others.

"Anyone got any more ideas..?" Howlite questioned, Pearl and Hematite pulling him to Steven to be healed.

"... I wanted to avoid this but..." Blue Diamond began to walk forward.

Images of the same thing Garnet had seen in her vision flashed before her eyes.

 _Damn it... Me fighting him will set all of that into place... I had hoped Howlite could defeat him or... In my wildest dreams that..._

She glanced back at the shards Peridot had set down. _Matrix..._

"Finally stepping up, Diamond?" Bloodstone grinned, and Blue Diamond took a deep breath.

Suddenly, the crackling of flames answered for her.

Everyone looked to Matrix's shards, that orange flame glowing brighter and brighter as it reached further into the air.

"... No..." Bloodstone told the shards, but they didn't listen.

 _I Will Not Die_ by _Three Days Grace_ began playing in the background.

A glowing white light came from the shards, and smiles of hope began to reach across all of the Crystal Gem's faces.

"No no..!" Bloodstone's scythe appeared in hand, but it was blasted out of his hand by Peridot, who stood along with Blue Diamond and Hematite between Bloodstone and the shards.

The shards formed slowly back together, Bloodstone stepping back slowly.

They formed the Tiger's Eye Matrix, and the light around them began to take a familiar shape.

"No no no!" Bloodstone took another step back as the light figure landed on it's feet, lights of white, black, and two shades of orange shooting from it's gem as it did so.

The light surrounding it faded, and Bloodstone's eyes were wide in fear.

Matrix groaned, stretching. His usual white shirt was replaced with leather armor, which was in a plate-like design. It wasn't very heavy, the arms open. Leather bracers went up his forearms, and his cloak was now a shade of black. Leather pads covered his shoulders.

As Matrix walked towards Bloodstone, images flashed around him. Jasper's fight with Bloodstone, Jasper's death. Tiger's fight with Bloodstone, Tiger's death. Zeolite's fight with Bloodstone, Zeolite's death. His own fight with Bloodstone...

And his own death.

"Wow, Reaps." He said, Bloodstone's eye twitching.

"I'm out for a few hours, and you go and get even uglier than before." Matrix smirked, crossing his arms as his cloak fell over his upper body, obscuring his arms from view.

"I killed you once, I'll do it again!" Bloodstone snarled.

"Don't flatter yourself creep, _I_ killed me. Not you." Matrix walked towards Bloodstone, everyone else silently stepping out of the way.

"And from the looks of it, not even I can kill me." Matrix chuckled. "Isn't that something?"

Bloodstone grit his teeth.

"But I know I can kill you." Matrix's Gem eye lit up in orange flames once more.

"You... I don't care that you're still alive! You'll still never be as strong as me! You're still nothing but an Arsenal Prototype!"

"Yeah, that Arsenal thing is really gonna come in handy for this fight..." Matrix grinned, Bloodstone looking confused.

"You see, a few buddies gave me some presents before I left..."

Matrix threw his cloak open, suddenly pulling two staves twice his size out of no where!

Howlite's eyes widened at the staves, recognizing them immediately.

Matrix threw the staves like buzz-saws at Bloodstone.

"W-what?!" Bloodstone jumped back, jumping around the staves and dodging them.

He looked up, seeing Matrix above him, pulling back his head, Jasper's helmet appearing on his head!

"This is for Jasper!" He slammed his head down into Bloodstone's gem, breaking it to bits and pieces.

Bloodstone slammed into the ground, Gem healing.

Bloodstone sat up slowly, eyes widening as Matrix rushed across the ground towards him, Tiger's glove appear over his hand.

"This is for Tiger!" Matrix slashed upwards, catching Bloodstone by the gem and cutting it into three.

Bloodstone reformed in air, looking down to see Matrix shooting up after him, pulling back Zeolite's claw.

"And this is for Zeolite!"

Matrix stabbed through Bloodstone's gem, sending him falling back to the ground to regenerate.

Matrix landed before Bloodstone as he struggled to get back up, panting in fear and exhaustion.

"Well, Reaper, you had me questioning it for awhile." Matrix pulled his spear from his eye, twirling it and aiming it down at Bloodstone, who was crawling backwards away from him, shaking his head.

"But now I know for sure." Matrix smirked. "Seeing that fear in your eye, yeah, I know."

 **"Now I know I can, no, now I know I _will_ beat you." **

* * *

**BOOYAH MOTHER F#CKERS!  
**

 **Come on, did ya really think I'd kill Matrix? Admit it, your faith dwindled after awhile, didn't it?**

 **But now the end is at hand. Matrix has returned, Bloodstone is on his knees. It will all come to a close soon.**

 **After over twenty chapters, the end is finally nearing...**

 **It only took the end of summer, all of fall, and the beginning of Winter.**

 **I hope you're ready. My master plan has fallen into place.**

 **Please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	56. Chapter 55: Final Phase (Part 1)

**Thanks go to Guest, StoryWriter2003, Kagehime-sama53, Pelagop, and Guest.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

The hand ship landed shakily, and 107 breathed a sigh of relief.

"W-well then..." Connie seemed to be hanging tightly onto 107's leg, afraid she would be flung around.

"Why doesn't this thing come with seat belts?"

"... What's a seat belt?"

Connie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She grabbed 107's hand, pulling him towards the exit of the ship.

107 seemed to have powered down, tendrils no longer connecting him to the ship's power core.

He seemed to have used his powers while still in that state to make himself a metal arm while he waited for a chance to go back into his Gem, however.

They came out of the ship to a horde of humans, all yelling and cheering.

"We did it!" Connie grinned happily, 107 keeping his blank expression.

"Yes, now we just have to wait on the others to defeat Bloodstone..." 107 placed his hands in his pockets.

"Well we could always go he-"

"No."

"You don't even know what I was going to say!" Connie stomped down one foot.

"You were going to suggest helping fight Bloodstone. I said no, because I'm not suicidal." 107 crossed his arms.

Connie sighed. "Yeah... I guess fighting Bloodstone would be a little scary... I mean, just one of his henchmen broke my arm..." Connie said, and 107's eyes widened slightly.

"... I suddenly have the strangest urge to foil Bloodstone's plots..." 107 stood, Connie arching a brow at him.

"So we are gonna fight him?"

"Pffft! Hell no!"

Connie was surprised by this sudden show of emotion, but 107 didn't notice.

"Now, Bloodstone has two other ships. While poking around that ship's database, I found their locations. They have about twenty soldiers guarding them each." 107 said, standing in front of Connie.

"Are you willing to help me?"

"Of course!"

"Good... I suppose the Crystal Gems _will_ need a few working ships."

 **Chapter 55: Final Phase (Part 1)**

 **Matrix the Determined  
**

 _"Well?"_

 _"... No."_

* * *

Bloodstone's wings shot out from his back, and he quickly shot backwards, Matrix watching him do so.

"You can run but you can't hide..." Matrix jumped up after him, pulling back his spear and throwing it at lightning speed.

Bloodstone's eyes widened as the spear created a sonic boom from the force put behind it, stabbing directly through his chest.

Matrix appeared above him, pulling back one fist and bringing it down on his face, throwing him down into the ground, Matrix grabbing hold of the spear as he fell and tearing it from his chest.

Bloodstone was cratered, struggling to sit up.

His eyes widened as he looked up, a spear shooting down through his gem, sending him back to shards in an instant.

Bloodstone growled as he reformed. "Damn you..." He grit his teeth, hands clenching into fists.

"What are you?!" He yelled into the air at Matrix, who smirked down at him.

"How are you still alive?! I watched you die damn it! I saw your shards! You aren't real! You can't be real!" Bloodstone stumbled back as Matrix landed in front of him, twirling one of Lignite's staves.

"I'm just as real as anyone else you've killed." Matrix's eyes suddenly snapped open wide, the orange flame of his gem growing brighter, twirling into the air.

"But I refused to die."

Matrix shot forward, stabbing at him with a spear. Bloodstone jumped back, and Matrix quickly threw Lignite's stave at him, watching it buzz quickly across the earth towards him.

Bloodstone attempted to dodge, but the saw buzzed through his right arm and his right foot, and Matrix cracked his knuckles as he watched Bloodstone hit the ground, struggling up, only to fall once more.

"How does it feel, Reaper?" Matrix walked towards Bloodstone, who tried desperately to crawl away.

He kicked Bloodstone onto his back, crouching over him and pulling back his left fist.

"That sense of hopelessness?!" Matrix slammed one fist into Bloodstone's face, forcing his head into the dirt.

"The realization that you're going to die?!" Matrix hit him with his other fist, then his left again.

"The realization that you're going to lose?!" Matrix pelted Bloodstone with a barrage of fists, roaring in anger as he beat him further and further into the ground, cracking and breaking his gem again and again.

Matrix kicked Bloodstone out of the hole as his Gem healed once again.

"So how many lives do you have left, monster?" Matrix questioned, Zeolite's claw appearing over his left hand as Tiger's glove appeared over his right, Jasper's helmet appearing on his head as his spear appeared in his left hand as Lignite's stave appeared in his right.

"How many times am I going to kill you before you chose to stay dead, Reaper?" Matrix closed his right eye, tilting his head to the side as his left eye widened, Bloodstone standing as his limbs were healed with black energy.

Bloodstone panted, stepping back from Matrix. "N-no... I'm not afraid! I don't care if you are back! I'll still defeat you!" Bloodstone's scythe appeared in hand, and he shot off the ground at Matrix.

Matrix easily blocked scythe swing after scythe swing, dodging what he didn't block.

Bloodstone grit his teeth, jumping into the air and pulling back his scythe, his scythe lighting up in black energy, red lightning coursing around it once more.

"PREPARE TO DIE, YOU FILTHY CRYSTAL-"

Bloodstone's eyes widened, a spear ramming through his abdomen, blood spewing from his mouth.

"Were you saying something?" Matrix suddenly floated back to back with Bloodstone, who's eyes widened in horror.

He spun around, swinging his scythe at him.

Matrix ducked under the scythe, bringing up Tiger's claw across Bloodstone's face, spraying his blood through the air as he jumped up, bringing down Lignite's stave into his gem, shattering it once more.

Matrix kicked Bloodstone in the chest, sending him exploding into the ground as he regenerated.

"Go on, get back up." Matrix landed before him. "I dare you."

Bloodstone grit his teeth as he pushed himself back up, stumbling slightly.

"Fine then..." Bloodstone dropped his scythe, which disappeared as it hit the ground.

"Let us fight like old times..." Bloodstone grinned from ear to ear, eyes wide as Matrix's weapons disappeared.

"Fine, you think I can't kick your ass with just these?" He cracked his knuckles.

* * *

"Bloodstone's ship went silent awhile ago, and the White Hand just went silent about thirty minutes ago." A soldier stood straight before the yellow figure on the large screen.

"..." Yellow Diamond sighed. "Bloodstone what could you possibly be doing..?" She muttered. She leaned her chin on her hand.

"Well, once the ship's footage reaches us here, which seems to be coming quite slowly..." She seemed irritated by this. "Then we will figure out what's happening."

"As for you!" Yellow Diamond suddenly addressed the soldier, making him jump back up straight.

"You are to make sure nothing else happens to your ships." The soldier nodded quickly, and Yellow Diamond sat back in her chair, muttering something.

"Yeah we'll see how long that lasts..." And the transmission ended.

* * *

The two ships were set down, ten soldiers standing outside of them.

They stood there, ready, as the bushes rustled.

"Hm?" They all aimed their weapons to the bushes, which Connie jumped from.

"Oh, it's just some huma-" The soldier was cut in two, Connie slashing by him.

"What the?!" The soldiers jumped back from her as she attacked.

"Come and get me you stupid aliens!"

"Hm..." 107 jumped down from the top of the ship, sneaking inside. "Her baiting could use some work but... Otherwise... Yes, she can handle this..."

"Good luck, child..."

* * *

Fist smashed into fist, shock waves rocking the Kindergarten.

Matrix pulled back one fist, slamming it into Bloodstone's face, forcing his head back to the side.

Bloodstone brought his knee into Matrix's chin, making him stumble back as Bloodstone slammed one foot into his abdomen, sending him flying back through the air.

Matrix spun, landing on his feet and one hand as he slid back.

Bloodstone shot forward at him, pulling back one fist.

Matrix shot into the sky, spinning down and slamming one heel down onto the back of his head, smashing him gem first into the dirt.

Matrix front flipped off of him, landing and looking over his shoulder as Bloodstone rose slowly, snarling at him, before grinning.

"You're going to have to try harder than that!" Bloodstone shot forward, pulling back both fists, jumping into the air and slamming both of them into the sides of Matrix's head, jarring him and making him stumble back as he landed before him, pulling back one palm and slamming it into his chest, sending him flying back through he ship's rubble with a shock wave.

"You're pathetic!" Bloodstone opened one palm to the rubble, firing a wave of black into it.

Matrix shot from the rubble as the blast hit it, the explosion propelling him high into the air as he floated in air, right in front of the sun from Bloodstone's angle.

"So that's how you're going to play? Why am I not surprised?" Matrix pulled his spear from his eye, throwing it with lightning speed down at Bloodstone, who jumped back too little too late, his knee cap being caught and stabbed.

"Gah!" Bloodstone fell back, hitting the ground with a thud as the spear pinned him there by the leg.

He heard a far away roar getting closer and closer, and looked up to see Matrix coming from above him, pulling back his left fist.

"DIE!"

Matrix slammed his fist into his gem, a sonic boom throwing dust away from crater that was immediately formed, Bloodstone being pushed deep into the earth by the attack.

Matrix stood at the top of the crater, staring down at Bloodstone as he reformed.

"We about done here, Reaper?" Matrix arched a brow at him as he seethed with rage.

"How... Dare you?!" Bloodstone demanded to know, and Matrix shrugged.

"You have a very hittable face." Matrix grinned, orange fire swirling from his gem.

Bloodstone roared, sending his scythe spinning up at Matrix, who quickly threw down one of Lignite's staves in the same spin, cancelling his scythe out with a clang, both of the weapons spinning down and sticking into ground.

"By the way, Lignite's pissed about you stealing his technique." Matrix said as the weapons stuck into the ground.

Bloodstone shot from the crater, pulling back one fist and throwing it forward at Matrix, who side stepped it, ramming his knee into Bloodstone's abdomen, grabbing him by the hair as he fell, ramming his fist into his Gem and smashing it before dropping him, watching him crumple on the ground before bursting back to life.

"I wonder how many times you've died now... I mean, what with me and Howlite and whatever else has been kicking your ass, you can't have too many lives left, can you?" Matrix stroked his imaginary beard as he jumped back from scythe swing after scythe swing.

"Shut... Up!" Bloodstone panted, swinging down at him again before Matrix caught his scythe, slamming one foot into his chest and sending him sliding back.

Matrix shot forward, ramming his spear through his Gem before kicking his body off of it as he regenerated.

"Huff... Damn it..." Bloodstone panted, hands on his knees as he struggled to stand. Matrix twirled his spear as he waited for his next attack.

"Come on Reaps, don't tell me I came all the way back here just for this half assed fight." Matrix leaned on his spear, arching a brow at Bloodstone.

"Oh... You want a fight, do you..? Heheheheh..." Bloodstone grinned up at Matrix, who rolled his eyes.

"I get the strangest feeling I'm about to feel some serious regret..."

Bloodstone laughed hysterically, jumping into the air and holding his arms out to the sides.

"Just remember, you brought this upon yourself!"

The Cluster Experiments began to stumble, lights being sucked out of them and into Bloodstone!

"Hahahah... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Oh Space God damn it!" Matrix held up one arm to block from the constant flow of power being sucked into Bloodstone, the Clusters falling and groaning as their power was sucked into Bloodstone.

"WHERE IS YOUR PROTECTOR NOW, DISGUSTING EXPERIMENTS?!"

"No!" Howlite growled, watching them all be sucked up.

 ** _Howlite... I can feel them fading..._**

 _I know I just..! Oh God...  
_

All of the Gems watched as Bloodstone bulked, eyes a pure black with red cracks running through them.

All of the Clusters fell, Gems shattering to dust.

"Hahahah..." Bloodstone's voice was doubled, one voice his regular voice and the other a deeper, darker voice. Red cracks ran like veins through Bloodstone, resembling the pattern on Howlite's skin.

His skin was pitch black, flesh now over parts that had been burnt to skeleton. His muscles bulked out to an obscene level, making him look as if he were about to pop. He grinned, flames curling up from the sides of his mouth.

He suddenly frowned, a red and black aura exploding out around him. He grit his teeth, as if enraged. He looked like some sort of rabid animal.

"..." Matrix sighed. "Yeah, alright."

And they would have to put him down.

* * *

107 suddenly turned his head, looking with wide eyes in Bloodstone's direction.

"What on Earth..." He shook his head, jumping behind a wall as guards walked by.

His energy blade shot out, stabbing both of them and returning them to their gems.

He threw their gems into another Cell like the ones on Peridot's old ship, closing the cell before continuing his run.

As he ran, he jumped, stabbing a camera as it turned to face him.

Of course, that would alert the guards to his location, but they would send less if there was the possibility of the camera having just gone out.

He kicked in a door, two guards turning to face him. His blade jutted out from his left arm, hitting one before turning abruptly to the other, stabbing them as well.

107 continued to sprint down the hallways, heading for the ships power core.

 _If I can get back into Prototype, I can make quick work of all of these Gems._

* * *

"Hahahah..." Bloodstone stood on a peak over looking all of the Crystal Gems, each of them staring back up at him with hatred in their eyes. Emerald and Amazonite had returned from their gems, and right on time.

Howlite's arm had been healed by Steven, and all of the other Gem's injuries had been healed as well.

 _Undertale - Your Best Nightmare / Finale Instrumental Mix Cover (Original by TobyFox Mix by Vetron)_ Began playing in the background.

"You just keep getting uglier, you know that?" Matrix yelled up at the muscled Bloodstone, who grinned down at him, a giant scythe appearing in hand.

He slashed down, and all of the Gems jumped away, a giant black blade slashing into the earth and cutting a canyon into the Kindergarten.

"Go!" Hematite yelled, the Gems shooting off the ground at Bloodstone.

Howlite grit his teeth, running at Bloodstone from the side as he created spikes of ice, which fired rapidly at him as Lapis ran up from the other side, creating her water spikes and stabbing at him.

The water and ice broke against Bloodstone, who held out both of his palms to them, firing waves of black unlike anything they'd ever seen before at lightning speed, both of them jumping back just as the blast collided with where they stood seconds ago.

They were both thrown back as Pearl and Hematite shot up the front, shooting up at Bloodstone and slashing at him rapidly, their blades being dodged easily.

Bloodstone let out a dark pulse, throwing both of them back to the ground, where they flipped, landing on their feet and skidding back.

Blue Diamond fired a wave of energy into his chest, which broke apart on impact. Peridot joined in with a Giga Beam, but Bloodstone still refused to budge.

Amethyst shot up the ridge he was standing on, spinning and slamming into his back.

He looked over his shoulder at her, grinned, and back handed her back down the ridge.

He looked up, seeing Steven riding Lion down, throwing his shield at him.

The shield struck his face, and he stumbled back slightly, Lion roaring into him and sending him skidding back slightly.

Bloodstone grinned as he jumped back, opening one palm to them.

Before he could fire, he spun around, catching Emerald's blade and pulling him down towards him.

Amazonite came down from above, slamming both clubs down on his skull.

Bloodstone glared up at her, gritting his teeth.

He head butted Amazonite's clubs back, making her stumble back.

He felt something ram into his back, and looked over his shoulder to see Matrix there, pushing on his spear in attempts to break Bloodstone's skin.

"Heheh..." Bloodstone smashed the spear with one sweep of his fist, Matrix jumping back and throwing several of Lignite's staves down towards him, Bloodstone side stepping each one.

"It just never ends with this guy!" Emerald said, his blades stabbing rapidly at Bloodstone, who side stepped every attack.

"Just nut up and die already!" Howlite said, Lapis bringing down rain as he turned it to ice, directing it to Bloodstone, the ice breaking against his skin.

"It's really not that bad!" Matrix said, throwing a spear down at him.

"Enough..." Bloodstone rumbled, and another burst of black energy rocked the area, sending all of them flying back.

The Gems skidded to a stop, panting.

"This is it..." Peridot said, watching as Bloodstone rose high into the sky, rising one palm into the air, an orb of black appearing in it as red lightning struck.

"..." Hematite's hands clenched into fists, and he began walking forward.

"Hematite?" Pearl questioned, watching as he sheathed his blades. "Hematite? What are you doing?"

Hematite walked up a peak, standing at the top and staring up at Bloodstone, who grinned down at him.

"BLOODSTONE!" He suddenly yelled, and Bloodstone's grin faltered.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" he grit his teeth, and the Gem's watched with surprise.

"Why?! Why are you doing this?! You know it's over! You know you won't be able to live like that! You and I both know you won't be able to live like that!"

Bloodstone just watched with wide eyes and a manic grin.

"It's over! You hear me?! Even if all of us die here, even if you kill everything and everyone, things won't go back!"

* * *

Hematite found himself traveling down a black path, a black figure and a white figure at his sides.

Without warning, the black figure cut the white figure down, and Hematite caught him, eyes wide in shock.

The black figure continued moving, but Hematite just sat there, holding the body of the white figure in shock.

"H-... Hematite..." It croaked.

"Hematite..." It said his name slowly. "Hematite... I'm sorry..."

"..." Hematite stood slowly, the white figure disappearing.

He found himself standing before the black figure, cracks of red now running through it as it's face broke open into a sharp toothed grin.

"... Fine." This thing seemed to radiate insanity as Hematite drew his swords, shooting off the ground at it. "If this is truly how you wish for it to end..."

* * *

"..." Hematite sighed. "I suppose there's no use trying to convince you to stop... But take it from me, Reaper..." Hematite drew his blades, taking out Death God Slayer as well.

"Sometimes you've just gotta know when to quit! And that day's today..." Hematite looked over his shoulder at the others.

"Hey, Matrix, Howlite, it's time we went back to the original plan." He said, and they looked to one another, nodding once.

"As for the rest of you, we've got time to buy." Hematite faced Bloodstone once again, placing Death God Slayer in his mouth.

The other Gems let out a roar as they all shot off towards Bloodstone.

Hematite collided with Bloodstone's scythe, a clang being heard before Bloodstone threw him back, slashing away Emerald's blade as Pearl stabbed from above, Bloodstone stepping back to avoid it.

Blue Diamond appeared behind him, placing both hands on his back and firing two waves of blue energy, sending him flying forward into Peridot, who had a Giga Beam charged, catching Bloodstone by the face with her cannon and firing, sending him rocketing back.

Lapis came from the sky, pulling back both fists as her wings swirled like drills around them, and she rammed them down into Bloodstone's chest.

Sparks shot through the air as her drills attempted to break Bloodstone's iron skin.

Bloodstone grabbed her by the drills, stopping them as he laughed wickedly, slamming his head into hers.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" His laugh sounded demonic as he threw her into the air, pulling back one palm to obliterate her.

Hematite shot by, slashing through his hand with Death God Slayer, glaring at him as he shot by.

Bloodstone roared, grabbing his wrist as black energy shot like blood from his wrist.

His blood whipped rapidly as them, as if it had a mind of it's own.

Hematite skidded to a stop behind him, spinning his blades and sheathing them, pulling Death God Slayer from his teeth.

"BURN IN HELL!"

He slashed through all of the energy blood, which all lit up in white flames as he went, Bloodstone turning around just as Hematite reached him, slashing upwards and slashing across his chest.

Bloodstone roared like an animal in distress, stumbling back as his black energy spewed from the cut, white flames leaving burn marks on his chest.

"That pain is just a sample of the burning you'll endure where you're going, Reaper..." Hematite said, eyes covered by his hair.

* * *

Steven quickly pressed his saliva coated hands to Matrix's and Howlite's wounds, both of them cringing as he did so.

"Come on kid, we've gotta hurry!" Matrix said, and Steven nodded quickly.

But of course, the pressure only made his mouth go all the drier.

* * *

Bloodstone's black energy continued to whip around at them, each of them dodging just outside of his line of attack.

In an instant, a reddish purple flash slammed one fist into Bloodstone's cheek, sending him smashing back through the earth.

"So, what'd I miss?" Garnet cracked her knuckles, energy returned by Cluster Experiments.

"Well, Matrix is back, Bloodstone ate the energy of all of the Cluster Experiments, and now Matrix and Howlite are being healed so we can go through with the old plan." Hematite filled her in, standing next to her.

"I see... Well, while I was down in the caverns, those Cluster Experiments introduced me to someone." Garnet smirked, watching as Bloodstone stood slowly.

Suddenly, a multicolored sickle on a chain stabbed into the ground before him.

The chain was reeled in, and a multicolored Gem landed between Bloodstone and the others.

"Well, now that I have given Howlite my energy, and lost a lot of those other Gems..." The Cluster shook it's head, messy, multicolored hair shaking with it.

"I'm finally able to think... Somewhat clearly." He ran a hand through his hair, his left hand blue and his right hand red.

He wore torn black pants with other colors running along them, a multicolored orb gem centered in his chest.

It seemed that a few Gems had condensed together to make a single orb in his chest.

His voice was a mix of a few Gems, and a red line ran diagonally across his face while a blue line ran horizontally across it.

His left eye was green, his right purple. His shirt was white, a tie dye of multiple colors running across it. His right sleeve missing while his left sleeve was silver.

"Is... Is that the Cluster..?" Emerald's eyes widened.

"In the stone." Garnet smirked, crossing her arms as Bloodstone pulling his scythe from his gem.

"Oh I get it." Emerald said. "Like in the flesh, but we're rocks... Heh. Clever."

"So... This is Bloodstone, then..." The Cluster flicked himself in the head, as if to straighten out his thoughts. "Yes. Pieces of me have met you..."

"Or, at least what you were..."

* * *

"Just... About... Done!"

"About time..." Howlite shivered.

"Lets just get this over with..." Matrix extended his hand to Howlite, who took it begrudgingly.

"Don't screw us over this time."

"Don't try to eat him like a freak this time."

"Heh... No promises."

* * *

The Cluster reappeared and disappeared as Bloodstone blasted at him, dodging with ease.

"Grah!" Bloodstone roared savagely, shooting off the ground at him and pulling his scythe back, swinging down at him.

The Cluster blocked the scythe with his sickle, spinning around the scythe and kicking Bloodstone in the face, making him stumble back.

"I never really saw you going savage... But what a fitting fate for a monster like you..." The Cluster said, eyes glowing multiple colors.

Before Bloodstone could attack again, the sky lit up, a wolf head of white energy and a tiger head of orange energy spiraling into the sky in a way Bloodstone recognized even in his current state.

The Wolf head howled as the Tiger head roared. They melded together, and in an explosion of light, all was silent.

"Well, aren't you disgusting..."

Bloodstone and The Cluster looked up at once to see Xenotime floating there, arms crossed.

"Not you, multi-colored... Thing. You seem cool. I was talking to Grim over there." Energy spears appeared floating behind Xenotime as he spoke.

Bloodstone growled.

"This makes me sad, Bloodstone. It really does." All of the others seemed to be eager to clear out of the way. The music faded out.

"I mean, last time around, you could at least yell things that amused me. Now it'll just be like beating up some stupid animal." Xenotime sighed, before grinning.

"But then again, maybe that'll be more fun than normal..."

"Anyway," His grin faded. "You and I both know you can't hold onto that power. Eventually, it'll all come bursting out, and you... Well... Pop goes the weasel."

"Having all of those voices screaming in there has gotta be screwing with your head, and all that power coursing through you has got to be wearing you down too, huh? Look, buddy, why don't you just let it all go, and we can talk this out like civilized Gems." Xenotime landed before Bloodstone.

"Come on, I can barely handle these two numb nuts in my head. A part of me wants to spare you, and a part of me wants to eat you alive. Isn't that a dilemma? Still I can't be sure why the Tigers Eye wants you alive... Maybe he wants to believe evil isn't real... That there aren't really bad people."

"Well if you aren't walking proof of evil, then I just don't know what is." Xenotime shrugged, shaking his head.

"Can you hear me in there, Bloodstone?" Xenotime looked into Bloodstone's eyes.

"I know you can... I can still see it. That itsy bitsy shred... Begging me to stop you..." Xenotime rubbed his neck, groaning.

"You really are a pain, you know that? But Maybe that shred proves Matrix right..." Xenotime extended one hand to Bloodstone.

"So, whaddaya say?" Xenotime smiled. "Friends?"

Xenotime suddenly jumped to the side, Bloodstone's scythe slashing into the ground where he once was.

"Yeah..." Xenotime stretched. "I figured that'd be too easy."

"You really like making things difficult, don't you?" Xenotime's eyes widened, a grin tugging at his lips.

"Oh well." The grin faded, orange fire spiraling from Matrix's gem eye as white fire spiraled from his mouth, clearly from Howlite's Gem.

"I suppose... Deep down..." Xenotime shot off the ground at Bloodstone, pulling back a glowing orange fist.

 **"I really wanted to do this the hard way!"  
**

* * *

 **And there it is! I know, I just keep dragging this out further and further... But this is it! That's the last trick Bloodstone has up his sleeve!  
**

 **I think...**

 **Like I said, it feels like I'm just watching at this point. Maybe that's why I'm so hype for this ending. Because for some reason it feels like I'm not just writing it, it feels like I'm watching it too.**

 **Well, anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	57. Chapter 56: Final Phase (Part 2)

**Thanks go to Guest, Demo-nisshu jinketsu Duke, Kagehime-sama53, Pelagop, and StoryWriter2003.**

 **I hope everyone's having a merry Christmas Eve.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

Connie parried a blade, 107's blaster firing down at the soldier before her.

She jumped back, a blast flying under her from another soldier as she did.

Meanwhile, 107 ran through the ship, kicking in the door to the power core.

The guards were startled, but stood ready, and 107 groaned.

"Any chance you two'll just step aside?"

They stepped in front of the power core.

"Yeah, I did not think so..."

 **Chapter 56: Final Phase (Part 2)**

 **Bloodstone, the Reaper Among Gems**

 _Matrix sighed. "Yeah, that's what I figured."_ _  
_

* * *

Fist slammed into fist, scythe blades and energy spears colliding in the sky.

Bloodstone jumped back, throwing his scythe at Xenotime.

A large metal maw made of energy appeared before Xenotime, chomping down on and breaking the scythe.

Bloodstone fired blasts rapidly at Xenotime, who jumped past each one, reaching Bloodstone and pulling back one fist, throwing an earth shattering punch at Bloodstone, who side stepped it, throwing his knee into Xenotime's chest, Xenotime blocking that by bringing up his own knee.

He pulled back his head, slamming it forward into Bloodstone's and making Bloodstone stumble back.

Xenotime quickly kicked into Bloodstone's chest, sending him flying back and exploding into the earth.

Xenotime created two Energy Maws, sending them chomping down at Bloodstone, who shot from the smoke just as they chomped into it, pulling back his scythe and swinging at Xenotime, who ducked under it, jumping up and slamming his fist into Bloodstone's chin, Bloodstone grinning before slamming his knee into his chest, bringing up his elbow and ramming it down into Xenotime's head, sending him exploding into the earth.

Bloodstone laughed, firing waves of black and red down at Xenotime, who created a white barrier above him, the blasts breaking against it.

"Heh, is that all you've got, Reaper?" Xenotime asked, before Bloodstone roared with anger, shooting down at him.

Bloodstone pulled back one fist, slamming it into the barrier and smashing through it.

Xenotime jumped back, sending a wave of energy spears at Bloodstone, Bloodstone dodging quickly around them, continuing his chase after Xenotime.

Xenotime back flipped again and again away from Bloodstone, who chased angrily.

In a last back flip, Xenotime brought up several energy spears from the earth, Bloodstone running right into them and being impaled instantly.

"Hmph." Xenotime put a hand in his pocket, opening his palm to the skewered Bloodstone.

"Sorry pal, guess that's just the way the Gem shatters."

Xenotime fired a wave of white and orange energy at Bloodstone, who watched it approach with angered eyes.

Bloodstone sucked air into his lungs, letting out a mighty, savage roar, summoning a black barrier around him.

The spears broke away as the blast was blocked, Bloodstone's injuries healing immediately.

"... I see." Xenotime lowered his palm, the blast fading as a sweat drop rolled down the back of his head.

"Well, this is gonna be trouble."

Bloodstone exploded from the barrier, slamming his elbow into Xenotime's face, sending him rocketing back through a mountain and bringing rubble crashing to the ground.

"Well..." The rubble exploded into the air in an orange and white light, Xenotime standing in the center of the explosion.

"I guess you're really serious about this fighting me thing, huh?" Xenotime sighed.

"Idiot."

Xenotime shot forward at Bloodstone, pulling back one hand and opening his palm, an orb of energy appearing in his palm.

He slammed his energy palm into Bloodstone's face, and for a moment, all was still.

But as things suddenly sped back up, Bloodstone was sent flipping and skidding at lightning speed through the ground, creating a crater reaching across the Kindergarten.

Xenotime held up both hands, firing a wave of orange and a wave of white at Bloodstone, each of them taking different flanks and slamming into his sides, exploding on impact.

Bloodstone stood slowly, stumbling slightly as he did so before Xenotime appeared before him, ramming one fist into his abdomen, making him cough blood before he was sent exploding into the air.

Xenotime appeared above him, spinning down and slamming one leg down on the back of his neck, sending him exploding into the earth.

"Please don't come back." Xenotime pulled back his palms, suddenly throwing them forward repeatedly as he fired orb after orb of energy into the dust at shocking speeds.

After a minute or two, he slowed to a stop, and as the dust cleared, a massive crater took up the ground of the Kindergarten.

"Huh... Maybe I over did it..." Xenotime stroked his imaginary beard.

He looked up, hearing the sweat sound of a scythe being thrown down at him.

"Nah!"

He reached forward, smacking the scythe aside.

"Now Bloodstone, you and I both know you're running low on time-" Bloodstone shot forward, slamming his fist into Xenotime's chest, sending him exploding back through the air.

Xenotime exploded into the earth, skidding back through it with a groan.

"I never really was a fan of sucker punches..." In an instant, Xenotime appeared next to Bloodstone, slamming one fist into his cheek and sending him exploding into the earth.

"I have always been a fan of lying, however." Xenotime chuckled to himself, watching as Bloodstone stood from the rubble, panting and seething with rage.

"Aw come on, not even a tiny smile?" Xenotime arched a brow at Bloodstone, who shot off the ground at him, grabbing him and slamming him back into the ground, pushing him across it and making another line crater through the Kindergarten.

"Well..." Xenotime said, his voice strained. "They can't all be winners..." He suddenly grabbed Bloodstone by the side of his face, slamming his head into the other side of the crater.

Xenotime continuously slammed Bloodstone's head into the stone, keeping a bored expression as he did so.

"Ya give up yet?" He said, propping his head up on his hand, Bloodstone's hand shooting out and wrapping around his neck.

"Gah! Okay, okay, maybe not..." Xenotime said as he was strangled.

"I... Will... Kill you..." Bloodstone stared at him, anger glowing in his eyes.

"Honestly this time, I am not a big fan of dramatic pauses." Xenotime rammed one fist through Bloodstone's chest, surprised by something as his arm came out from Bloodstone's back.

"Wow... Y'know, usually, Gems keep a heart in that chest cavity." Xenotime shook his head.

"But ain't that just blunt symbolism." Xenotime slammed one foot into Bloodstone's chest, throwing him off of him and back through the air.

"Whatever the case, you're starting to really creep me out." Xenotime shook his hand, Bloodstone's black blood flying off of it.

"Heheheh..." Bloodstone grinned, and Xenotime shivered.

"Weirdo..."

* * *

"Do you think this'll do it?" Steven asked, glancing at Garnet.

"Well of course it will." The Cluster answered, and Steven glanced at him in surprise.

"Oh... My apologies... That was not directed towards me, was it?" Once again, the Cluster flicked himself in the head, as if to straighten out his thoughts.

"A part of me had a serious problem with interrupting people..." He shrugged.

Steven just smiled at him.

Hematite stared blankly into the battle, his eyes a silver instead of their usual grey as he watched.

"Uh... Are you okay, Hematite?" Pearl questioned, and Hematite looked slightly surprised, the silver fading from his eyes.

"Huh? Oh uh... Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Why do you keep asking me that?" Hematite arched a brow at her.

"You seem a little... Off. This wouldn't happen to be about Bloodstone, would it?" Pearl sat next to Hematite on the ledge they watched the fight from.

"No."

"Hematite... I understand how you feel..." Pearl reached for Hematite. "But-"

Her hand was smacked away at a speed to which Pearl hadn't even seen Hematite lift his hand.

"No." Hematite's eyes became colder than usual as he stared into the battle.

"You don't..."

* * *

Xenotime moved his head quickly, dodging punch after punch before throwing his own, which Bloodstone dodged, jumping to the side and kicking at Xenotime, who ducked under it.

Bloodstone landed on his hands, jumping back once more and firing a wave of energy at Xenotime, who smacked it aside, sending it flying off into the distance.

Bloodstone shot forward, throwing a punch with all of his weight at Xenotime, who ducked under it, grabbing him by the arm and flipping him over his shoulder, slamming him into the earth.

Bloodstone shot up, looking around to see Xenotime was missing.

"Where..?!" Bloodstone looked around, before suddenly feeling something put their arms under his, flipping back and slamming his head into the ground.

Xenotime suplexes a huge Bloodstone, just because he can.

Xenotime slid up, spinning around on one heel and kicking Bloodstone in the side, throwing him back across the Kindergarten.

Bloodstone spun, landing on his feet and one hand, skidding to a stop before shooting forward, slamming his elbow into Xenotime's chin, following with a knee to the gut before slamming his conjoined fist atop Xenotime's head.

Xenotime's head was forced down, and a metal maw appeared over his mouth, alight with the white flames of Howlite's gem.

Xenotime sunk his teeth into Bloodstone's side, the white fire of his jaws scorching Bloodstone's skin as he threw him over his shoulder, sending him back across the ground.

Xenotime fired a beam of white from his mouth, which quickly overtook Bloodstone.

The beam exploded away, Bloodstone standing in a crater, seething with rage as blood ran from his wounds, scorch marks coating him.

"Hahah... Hahahahahah... HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

 _Do you really think we can keep this up?_

 _We don't have to, even if we lose he'll have to let go of that energy within the hour. He's unstable._

 _Hm. It's nice when that happens to someone other than me._

"Did I ever tell you that you have a very beautiful laugh?" Xenotime tilted his head to the side as he landed before Bloodstone, who arched a brow at him.

"Yeah, there's a reason for that." Xenotime said, his expression becoming cold, a look that said "... Really?" appearing on Bloodstone's face.

"See? I knew you were in there. Or maybe not even a savage can handle my jokes... Meh." Xenotime shrugged.

Bloodstone pulled a scythe from his gem, swinging rapidly at Xenotime, who dodged quickly.

"Y'know, it's surprising that the 'drop technique and go savage' plan didn't work. I've gotta say, I'm shocked."

"You're just... Buying time!" Bloodstone snarled.

"So you can form sentences!" Xenotime back flipped away from a scythe swing. "Next week I'll teach you how to read."

Bloodstone roared, slamming his fist into Xenotime's gut, Xenotime coughing blood as he was hunched over in pain.

"I'm beginning to think I'm hurting your feelings..." Xenotime suddenly grabbed Bloodstone by the leg, jumping up and spinning him, whipping him across the battle field, sending him exploding into a wall of stone.

A crack spread through the stone wall, and a black glow could be seen coming from it.

"DIE!" A gigantic wave of black fired from the crack in the wall of stone, rising tens of feet into the air, Xenotime's eyes widening.

"Oh shi-" Xenotime threw up his arms to block, being engulfed in the wave of blackness, the Gems gasping as they watched.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Bloodstone roared with anger as black energy radiated from him.

Xenotime was left stuck in the side of a rock wall, groaning.

"He's becoming more and more unstable..." Xenotime panted, tearing himself from the wall and falling to his hands and knees, scorch marks coating him as he panted.

"He's putting out energy faster and faster, he's trying to keep it from becoming too much..." Xenotime stood slowly, stumbling slightly as he winced.

 _Uh... Why are you saying this out loud?_

 _You could just think it._

 _You idiots have kind of occupied all of my mind._

 _... Y'know, Matrix, our personalities must really conflict if our fusion makes a whole other Gem instead of just being us as one Gem._

 _Yeah, I was just thinking that._

 _Yeah yeah that's great, can we focus on the task at hand please?  
_

 _Right, right._

"Is that all ya got, Reaper?" Xenotime grinned, blood on his teeth.

"Not... Even close!" Bloodstone pulled back both arms, opening his palms as he thrust them forward, firing wave after wave of energy, each beam bigger than the last.

"We and our big mouth..." Xenotime groaned, watching the blasts approach.

Xenotime closed his eyes for a moment, before they snapped open, flames spiraling from Matrix's gem and from between his teeth as he grinned.

He threw his hands before him, opening them wide as a wall of ice appeared before him, blocking the beams before breaking down, another wall taking it's place.

 _Hopes and Dreams/SAVE The World/His Theme (Undertale) Metal Remix (Original by Toby Fox, remix by SixteenInMono)_ Began playing in the background.

Wall after wall fell as the beams got closer and closer, Xenotime gritting his teeth.

"I... Will not... Lose to you!" Xenotime's Gem's burned brighter, and as one last wall fell, he rose both hands into the air, a wall of orange and white flame rising into the air, stopping the beams dead in their tracks.

Bloodstone's attacks slowed to a stop, and he watched in shock along with all of the other Gems as Xenotime stepped through the wall of flames, hands clenching into fists, flames swirling off of him.

"I gave you your last chances Reaper..." His hair covered his eyes as a grin cracked across his face.

"Time to die."

Bloodstone flinched, Xenotime shooting off the ground towards him. Fire spiraled off of his left fist as he pulled it back.

"No!" Bloodstone blasted at him, but he knocked the beam aside, reaching him in an instant, pulling back one fist and ramming it into his chest, Bloodstone's eyes almost popping out of his head as he hunched over the fist, Xenotime pulling it back in an instant, spinning around him and standing back to back with him, somewhat taller than him.

Bloodstone snarled, spinning around with an orb of power in his hand, a look of rage on his face.

Xenotime caught the hand, pulling it aside as his hair still covered his eyes.

He said nothing, slamming his foot into his chest and sending him exploding down into the ground.

"Now..." Xenotime held up both hands, thousands of energy spears and energy maws appearing floating behind him.

"If you know what's good for you..." He grit his teeth, throwing his hands down.

"STAY DEAD!"

The spears and maws rained down on Bloodstone, who's eyes widened in shock, throwing up both arms to protect himself.

"THIS CAN'T BE!"

"GO XENOTIME!" Steven fist pumped into the air, the other Gems quickly joining.

The Cluster and Hematite glanced at one another, before shrugging, joining in as well.

"I'LL SEE YOU IN HELL!"

The lights overtook the area, Bloodstone roaring as his power slipped from him, an explosion of white light blinding everyone temporarily.

* * *

107 looked over his shoulder from the Gems he held up in the air, now in his prototype mode. It appeared that he had cleared out all the soldiers after reaching the power core.

"What's that feeling..?" Connie questioned, looking in the direction 107 looked in.

107 sighed, relieved as he set all of the Gems down in one giant containment center he'd built in seconds.

"It's over..."

* * *

As the blinding light faded, a Grand Canyon sized crater could be seen, taking up all of the Kindergarten, all of the sins of this old place burnt away.

Xenotime breathed a sigh of relief, floating down to the ground and landing on his feet, only to fall to his knees.

"And don't come back..." Xenotime said, a light over taking him as he faded to two other Gems.

Howlite and Matrix panted as they were on their hands and knees, before a laughter came to them.

They both looked to each other, holding up one thumb with a grin.

"We did it!" Steven yelled as he stepped through Lion's portal, everyone else following before Lion jumped through as well, the portal closing behind him.

"Heheh..." Howlite smiled for what could have been the first time in his life, covered in burn marks and other cuts.

"Woo!" Matrix said tiredly, standing with Howlite.

"Should we really be celebrating yet..?" Pearl looked to the deepest part of the crater, seeing a beaten Bloodstone laying there, covered in scorch marks.

He had returned to his first form, but those wings remained, sprawled out under him.

His head was to the side as all of his limbs were spread out like his wings, his eyes closed.

"He can't hurt anyone at this point." Garnet said.

"Dirtbag's fresh outta juice." Amethyst grinned as she nodded.

"... Yeah..." Hematite stared down at Bloodstone.

"I can't believe it's finally over..." Matrix smiled, looking down at the beaten Bloodstone.

"Matrix!" An angered voice said, and Howlite nudged Matrix as a look of terror appeared on his face.

"But something tells me your final battle is just starting." Howlite grinned before stepping out of the way, Matrix turning around to face Peridot, who stomped towards him.

"Uh... Hey Peridot..!" Matrix scratched the back of his head. "I uh... I did it! I beat Bloodstone..! Heh... I uh... I told you I could do it..!" Matrix laughed nervously, Peridot's hands, now blasterless, clenched into fists.

"P-please don't kill me..." Matrix said, shrinking under Peridot's angry stare.

Everyone seemed to be watching intently, well, all but one Gem.

"... Do you have ANY idea the HELL I have endured because of your stupid stunt?!" Peridot poked Matrix in the chest with one finger as she yelled.

"You pushed me out of a ship that was A MILE in the air, left me here to fight an army! I lost both of my boots because of you!" Peridot continued jabbing Matrix in the chest with her finger as she spoke.

"You left me with the thought in my head that I was stuck here, ALONE, with these IDIOTS!" Peridot's hands clenched into fists, which she slammed into his chest again and again. She appeared to be shaking.

"But worst of all... W-worst of all..." Peridot's fist stopped on Matrix's chest, and she looked down.

"Y-you made me think... You made me think you weren't coming back..." Matrix's eyes widened slightly at her words.

"You... You were that worried..?" Matrix said, clearly surprised.

"Of course I was you idiot!" Peridot looked back up to him, and with her visor broken, Matrix could see the tears appearing in her eyes.

Matrix wrapped his arms around Peridot, pulling her into a hug.

"I... I was afraid I wouldn't come back too..." Matrix said, hearing a sob every now and again.

A loud 'aww' ran through the crowd of Crystal Gems.

"Shut it!" Matrix snapped at them, and he looked down as he noticed Peridot was shaking her head.

"Heh... I can't believe this is finally over..." She laughed lightly.

Emerald smiled as he looked at them. "Ah... My OTP is confirmed." He grinned happily.

"I thought Howlis was your OTP." Amazonite arched a brow at Emerald.

"Well yeah but that's just because I thought Matrix was dead." Emerald shrugged.

"Um..." Lapis leaned into the conversation. "What is 'Howlis'?"

"Uh..." Emerald looked around nervously.

"Good question, Lapis." Howlite put a hand on Emerald's shoulder, making him jump.

"What _is_ this 'Howlis'?" Howlite said, Emerald cowering in fear as his metal maw appeared, pupils shrinking.

"U-u-uh..." Emerald stuttered, looking at Amazonite as if to say 'help me for the love of god'.

"Now now," Blue Diamond placed a hand on both of their shoulders.

"I think Emerazonite is _my_ favorite ship." Blue Diamond grinned.

"Wait what?!" Amazonite and Emerald said in unison.

"Oh come on." Garnet adjusted her shades. "We all know Rupphire is the best."

"I fell like we're going in too deep are we going in too deep?" Amethyst glanced around.

Lion nodded with a small roar.

"Whatever, the job isn't over." Howlite pushed past the forming horde of shippers, walking to the crater.

His eyes widened. "Oh there is no way in hell..." The music faded out as he spoke.

"What?" Matrix pushed past him, his eyes widening as well. "Oh Space God damn it!"

In the crater was nothing but a Bloodstone shaped dent and marks running up the crater that looked as though someone had crawled out.

"How did we all miss tha..." Pearl trailed off as she looked to her side, her brow arching when she did.

"Uh... Hematite?" She looked around, and the others did as well.

"Maybe not all of us missed him..." The Cluster spoke.

* * *

Bloodstone ran quickly, panting as he held his right arm with his left hand.

 _Okay, Okay, I can make it out of this..._ Bloodstone stepped over a twig as he ran.

 _I just have to-_

 **SNAP.  
**

Bloodstone looked over his shoulder, fear in his eyes as he heard the sound of a snapping twig. Nothing was there but the snapped remains of a twig he swore he had stepped over.

Bloodstone looked around, panting before he spun back around, continuing his run.

 _Hurt (Unplugged)_ by _Trent Reznor_ began playing in the background.

 **(You could also listen to the Johnny Cash version, but I prefer this one is this instance.)  
**

Hematite jumped through the trees, watching Bloodstone as he ran. Images of Zeolite flashed before his eyes as he did so.

 _I, focus on the pain... The only thing that's real..._

Hematite shook his head as he jumped from tree to tree, the clouds over them threatening to run.

 _Try to kill it all away... But I remember... Everything..._

Bloodstone stumbled as he ran, images of Hematite, Zeolite, him, and another gem flashing before his eyes.

 _What have I become? My sweetest friend..._

Hematite glared at Bloodstone with hate in his eyes, images of Zeolite and this other unnamed Gem appearing before him.

Zeolite seemed to be crying in one of these images, Hematite hugging him.

 _Everyone I know, goes away... In the end..._

As they went, Bloodstone reached a warp pad, one of the ones that they had used to get close to the Kindergarten from the temple.

 _And you could have it all..! My Empire of dirt!  
_

Hematite jumped onto the pad moments after it's activation, going to the same location.

He knew full well where Bloodstone was going.

Bloodstone ran through the Gem Utopia, picking up the pace as he heard the Warp Pad activate behind him.

 _I will let you down..._

Hematite walked towards Bloodstone, rain beginning to pour above them. Images of Zeolite first being shattered by Bloodstone followed by his disappearance in Hematite's arms flashed before Hematite's eyes, and as rain pelted him, he blinked away tears.

 _I will make you hurt._

Bloodstone shook his head as he continued to run, his wings spreading out so he could attempt to fly away. Hematite walked to the top of a pile of rubble, holding both swords with a look of absolute fury on his face.

The music faded out slowly, being replaced with the sound of the pouring rain.

Hematite took a few deep breathes, staring with eyes full of anguish down at his former friend.

Hematite took one more deep breath before speaking over the rain. "Turn. Around. Reaper."

Fear appeared in Bloodstone's eyes, before something replaced it.

Regret?

Bloodstone stood there, back facing Hematite as he shook.

Hematite grit his teeth, hands clenching down tightly on his blades, knuckles becoming white.

"TURN AROUND AND FACE ME, BROTHER KILLER!"

Bloodstone turned slowly to face Hematite, letting go of his arm and panting.

Hematite panted with anger. "Reaper..." Hematite seemed to calm down with a few more breathes. "I used to call you more than that, didn't I?"

Bloodstone pulled his scythe from his gem, shaking only slightly as he stood there.

"We used to be friends, Bloodstone... But somewhere along the line, your fears over came all of our friendship, didn't it?" Hematite's blades lowered.

"I guess that's our fault, isn't it? Heh... Yeah, my fault, to be exact... Heheh..." Once again, Hematite was thankful for the rain.

It made the tears a lot less noticeable.

"But you and I both know friendship won't pull you out of this, will it?" Hematite's blades shook.

"Yeah, and you and I both know that I'm not exactly one to give second chances..." Hematite's hair covered his eyes.

"I'm not sure if I've said it before, but I really _don't_ like being played a fool, Reaper."

"You... You don't get it!" Bloodstone yelled, and Hematite's left eye could be seen through his hair, almost glowing with hatred.

"If you were in my position-"

"If I were in your position I'd saying my prayers right about now, Reaper!" Hematite interrupted, teeth gritting.

Bloodstone stepped back, looking down, as if ashamed.

"But you know what the worst part about all of this is, Reaper?" Hematite tilted his head to the side as he continued his speech.

"They all gave you second chances... They both believed in you... But I always knew..." Hematite's blades shook once again, his voice faltering for a moment.

"And I just sat there... I just sat there and watched as you burned my world down!" Hematite stepped forward, yelling.

"And I knew I could have stepped in... I knew I could have stopped you..." Hematite calmed down once more. "You know, before the whole Pyrite thing, Yellow Diamond actually offered me a bribe for killing you?" Hematite shook his head.

"She asked me to take you out, because you trusted me... But I said no. I said that you were my friend, and that Zeolite and Pyrite would never forgive me if I did! Heh... Isn't it funny? If I had taken her up on that deal, I would be in your position right now, and who knows who could be in mine?"

"But I pray for my sanity's sake it wouldn't be Zeolite..."

"But now I know that I was wrong to have any faith in you... You couldn't even keep one simple promise, could you?"

Bloodstone still looked confused at the mention of this promise, and Hematite rolled his eyes.

"Oh for Space God's sake! What you told Zeolite and I a long time ago..." Hematite said.

 ** _"As long as you two come with me, I won't ever separate you."_**

"Ring any bells, bastard?!" Hematite said after quoting him.

"I bet it doesn't... I know you don't care anymore... And I've stood by too many times now." Hematite's hair blew out of his eyes.

His eyes glowed that same silver from earlier as he stared down at Bloodstone.

"I looked away just one too many times..." Hematite pulled off his cloak, revealing the red lines that ran across his skin. He wore a black tank top, something one would wear when training. Death God Slayer could be seen sheathed across his lower back.

"You and I both know what happens next, Reaper." Hematite said, throwing his cloak down from the top of the rubble pile, watching it explode into a pile of dust quickly beaten down by the rain.

"That's why you came here... This is the place where Reapers come to die."

Hematite sighed, looking to the sky. "You know, despite the rain..." Some sunlight shined through the clouds, one stream of it running just behind Hematite.

"It's still a pretty beautiful day outside..." Hematite looked around the rubble, seeing the plant life growing through the buildings and the birds still nesting in this awful place.

"Birds are singing..." The chirping of birds reached over the rain.

"Flowers are blooming..." Sun shined down on patches of flowers.

"On days like these... People like you..." Hematite looked back to Bloodstone.

His eyes glowed that silver once more, hatred appearing in them once again as his pupils shrunk. The sound of the rain disappeared, and all was silent.

 _ **"Should Be Burning In Hell."**_

* * *

 **...  
**

 **And there, ladies and gentlemen, is probably one of my favorite cliff hanging chapter endings.**

 **And next chapter, will be my favorite battle.**

 **Well, maybe.**

 **I've certainly been thinking about it for awhile. Out of all of the things going on, Howlite The Protector, Matrix The Determined, Xenotime, I think this last one is my favorite.**

 **I really hope I can manage to get out next chapter on Christmas, but from the looks of it... I don't know. Keep an eye out for the next chapter, I'll find a way to make it work.**

 **So prepare for the end of this.**

 **Prepare for Hematite The Avenger.**

 **Please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	58. Chapter 57: Final Phase (Part ?)

**Thanks go to Kagehime-sama53, KillJoyGem, and StoryWriter2003.**

 **Normally I wouldn't update with that low in reviews, but I figured I still needed to post this on Christmas. And considering I posted last chapter on Christmas Eve, most of you were probably busy.**

 **If that's the case, and you planned on reviewing last chapter but didn't as this one is already out, please do review that chapter anyway. It would mean a lot to me to hear your thoughts before this and after this.**

 **Again, I really hate asking for reviews but, like I said, I live in fear of this story failing.**

 **Now then, I believe it is time for your last Christmas present.**

 **I mean, unless you celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, in which case I feel like an ass right about now and apologize for my cultural insensitivity.  
**

 **Whatever the case, here's your present from me!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 57: Final Phase (Part ?)  
**

 **Unknown Battle, Hematite The Avenger  
**

 _And he was alone.  
_

Hematite sighed, looking to the sky. "You know, despite the rain..." Some sunlight shined through the clouds, one stream of it running just behind Hematite.

"It's still a pretty beautiful day outside..." Hematite looked around the rubble, seeing the plant life growing through the buildings and the birds still nesting in this awful place.

 _Undertale - Megalovania_ by _TobyFox_ began playing in the background. **(Put that sh!t on loop, it's playing all chapter.)**

"Birds are singing..." The chirping of birds reached over the rain.

"Flowers are blooming..." Sun shined down on patches of flowers.

"On days like these... People like you..." Hematite looked back to Bloodstone. Zeolite's bubbled shards appeared in his hands, and he threw them up, as if to let Zeolite watch.

His eyes glowed that silver once more, hatred appearing in them once again as his pupils shrunk. The sound of the rain disappeared, and all was silent.

 _ **"Should Be Burning In Hell."  
**_

The music suddenly picked up as Hematite shot off the ground at Bloodstone, Bloodstone bringing up his scythe just in time to block, a clang ringing across the Utopia as Hematite came down, both blades slamming into his scythe.

He disappeared in an instant, appearing behind Bloodstone and spinning down at him, slashing across his back.

Hematite spun as he landed, Bloodstone arching his back in pain as Hematite spun around, slashing horizontally across his back, watching him fall to his knees.

"Die." Hematite pressed his blade through the back of Bloodstone's head, sending it forward through his gem.

Bloodstone crumpled on the ground, Hematite standing over him.

Suddenly, souls were sucked from Bloodstone once again, going into his broken Gem and healing him.

"... Hmph. Good." Hematite kicked Bloodstone in the side, crossing his arms. "I was hoping you'd have more than one life."

" _Because I want to kill you over and over again_."

Bloodstone looked to where Hematite was a moment ago, eyes widening as he was now gone.

He jumped up, looking around. In an instant, a blade was piercing his chest, Hematite glaring darkly into his eyes, kicking him forward off from his blade, shooting after him and slashing at him again and again, cutting his body and Gem to ribbons.

"Peridot said you'd have to die ninety five times awhile back. I counted up how many times you've died since then." Hematite grinned, eyes full of psychopathic rage.

"I can kill you a lot, Bloodstone."

Bloodstone roared, firing a wave of black at Hematite, who side stepped it, staring at Bloodstone out of the corner of his eye, tilting his head back as he glared at him.

Bloodstone shivered, jumping back as he fired wave after wave at Hematite, who kept disappearing, reappearing right next to the wave.

"Get away from me!" Bloodstone yelled, before feeling something slash through both of his forearms, his arms falling to the ground.

Bloodstone stared at his stump arms, letting out a silent scream.

Hematite rammed his knee into Bloodstone's chest, making him hunch over Hematite's knee as Hematite sliced through his neck, spinning around and slicing his Gem in two.

Hematite stood there, watching as the shards pulled themselves back together, Bloodstone's body reforming once again.

Bloodstone gasped for breath, on his hands and knees after reforming.

Hematite suddenly slammed his foot down on the back of Bloodstone's head, sending him face first into the mud.

Hematite ground Bloodstone's head into the mud under his heel, grinning as he did so, Bloodstone flailing in attempts to get back up.

"Die, Reaper..." Hematite's hair covered his eyes, his grin becoming a frown.

"Die die die..." He almost whispered, gritting his teeth as his foot came down with more pressure, Bloodstone's head being sucked down into the mud as his flailing slowly ceased.

In an instant, Bloodstone was pulled by the back of the neck from the mud, eyes snapping open as Hematite slashed violently into his chest, holding him up by the neck as Bloodstone roared with agony.

Hematite dropped Bloodstone, slamming one foot into his chest and sending him flying back through the air.

Hematite appeared behind Bloodstone, pulling back his leg and kicking him into the sky.

Bloodstone's eyes were clamped shut in pain, but he managed to force one open just as Hematite appeared above him, coming down towards him.

Hematite slashed down through Bloodstone, cutting him down the middle and into two, landing on the ground crouched and holding his blades out to the side as Bloodstone landed behind him, poofing as his Gem shattered.

Hematite spun around, watching as Bloodstone reformed, jumping up.

"I... I will not die! I refuse to lose!" Bloodstone panted, struggling to stand.

"I noticed that you get slower and more tired every time you come back." Hematite said, staring through Bloodstone as he spoke.

"?! W-well... I... Uh..." Bloodstone stammered, before shaking his head. "No! That doesn't matter! No matter how weak I am... I cannot, I WILL NOT die!"

"Oh, really?" Hematite grinned, suddenly appearing behind Bloodstone, leaning over his shoulder, Bloodstone's eyes wide with fear.

Bloodstone roared, spinning around and swinging his scythe at Hematite, who was gone the moment he did.

Bloodstone panted as he looked around, anger in his eyes yet fear showing very clearly as his knees shook.

Bloodstone roared, not seeing Hematite.

"FACE ME LIKE A MAN, TRAITOR!"

Bloodstone's eyes widened, his legs being cut out from under him as he fell back onto the ground.

"Traitor? No, no. You betrayed us, Bloodstone." Hematite glared down at Bloodstone with eyes full of that psychotic anger once again.

"The moment you cut her down... The moment she poofed to shards..." Hematite's hands clenched into fists, and he gnawed on the inside of his cheek.

"Heh... If I'd just done this then, we wouldn't be having this problem, would we?" Hematite shrugged. "Oh well."

He spun around, ramming his sword through Bloodstone's gem.

"Who knows what could have happened if I'd done this then. But I know what happens when I do this now." Hematite watched as Bloodstone reformed, panting as sweat ran down his face.

"Hematite... Please... Stop..." Bloodstone begged, head down as he had once again reformed on his hands and knees.

"Stop?" Hematite grinned, grabbing Bloodstone by the top of his head and pulling him up.

"Why we're just getting started!" Hematite head butted Bloodstone, making him stumble back as he shot forward, ramming the hilts of both of his blades into Bloodstone's abdomen, sending him exploding back through the area.

Bloodstone coughed blood as he leaned against a wall of rubble, holding his chest, feeling the bones of his sternum cracked.

He gasped for breath as blood spewed from his mouth. He leaned over, panting and crying in pain as Hematite's shadow loomed over him.

"Now now," Hematite pulled Bloodstone up by the hair, slamming one fist into his sternum and shattering it.

"You better not run out of energy too soon, Reaper." Hematite watched as Bloodstone crumpled to the ground, healing quickly.

Bloodstone panted, on his hands and knees before Hematite.

"No more..!" He begged, but Hematite just grinned down at him.

"Please, Hematite, I can't take it anymore..." This time Bloodstone was thankful for the rain, his hands digging into the mud.

Hematite grit his teeth.

"What kind of idiot do you take me for?" Hematite's blades shook.

He rammed his knee into Bloodstone's chin, sending him stumbling back and into a wall of rubble.

"Your crocodile tears aren't fooling anyone, let alone me, Reaper." Hematite crossed his arms, Bloodstone gritting his teeth in anger.

"You and I both know your hearts dead and cold. We both know you're incapable of feeling at this point." Hematite aimed one blade at Bloodstone.

"Now fight me for real or I will give you a fate worse than death."

"Heh... So you can see through me, huh? Heheheh... I wouldn't think _you_ of all people would be able to do that... Heheheh..." Bloodstone grinned, blood running from his teeth and his right eye.

"Oh haha. Real classy, make fun of the blind guy." Hematite suddenly shot forward, Bloodstone bringing up his scythe and blocking the blade, grinning at Hematite as Hematite glared at him.

Hematite and Bloodstone disappeared, reappearing throughout the sky, clangs of metal against metal ringing throughout the sky.

Lightning stuck behind them as Hematite held back Bloodstone's scythe with one blade in mid air, the light of the lightning lighting up both of them.

"I hope you die..." Bloodstone stung.

"I hope we both die." Hematite stung back, glaring into Bloodstone's black and red eyes with his own silver ones.

They disappeared, reappearing on the ground with another collision.

Hematite jumped back from scythe swing after scythe swing, Bloodstone unable to land a single hit on him.

Hematite disappeared, reappearing behind Bloodstone and swinging both swords at his back, Bloodstone reaching over his back with his scythe and blocking it.

"Why bother, Hematite?" Bloodstone said as he spun around, sparks flying through the air as scythe and blade collided.

"It's the one thing I'll never understand. For so long, you didn't bat an eye to anything. Remember when you broke that human child's arm what, a few weeks ago?"

"A month ago." Hematite spun, slashing past Bloodstone's scythe, slicing across his face, his cheek's blood spilling through the air.

"My point is, why start caring now?" Bloodstone jumped back, aiming one palm at Hematite and firing a wave of energy at him, Hematite disappearing and reappearing behind Bloodstone, ramming one blade through his gem.

Hematite jumped back, watching as Bloodstone reformed.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" Hematite shrugged as he chuckled, blades in hand. "I've always cared."

"In fact, the only thing that kept me going was killing all of those innocent people... It made it easier to distance myself. The weak die, the strong survive. Kill or be killed. I must of said it to myself a hundred times." Hematite suddenly appeared behind Bloodstone, Bloodstone's eyes widening.

"But I never really believed it until I walked into that temple for the last time. Until I saw that old bastard choking on his own blood on that table..." Hematite sighed, leaning against Bloodstone, who didn't dare turn around to face him, knowing it would mean another stab through the Gem.

"Then I told myself I had to survive. I had to be strong. But if someone as strong as that old bastard could wind up dead because of something as simple as the disease old age brings... Than someone like Zeolite would never stand a chance."

"I don't know why, to this very day, that I saved that little lovable Gem... Why I stopped your scythe that day. Why I ran off with him... Why I hid from you for all that time..." Hematite sighed.

"But I'd always, always have to protect him. Perhaps that was all I had left of my conscious. That one tiny piece that kept me from being you." Hematite crossed his arms.

"I choked my emotions down, and used Zeolite as a tiny outlet to keep from exploding... Heh, maybe I should apologize for that some time." Hematite shook his head.

"But that's then... This is now..." Hematite grit his teeth.

"And now..."

Bloodstone jumped away from Hematite, feeling a blade slash through the air where his head and Gem was a moment ago.

He looked over his shoulder to where Hematite would have been, his eyes widening as Hematite seemed to have disappeared.

Bloodstone looked forward, skidding to a stop to see a blade aimed in his face.

"And since you killed Zeolite, my outlet was broken, and now all of this anger and hatred is just pouring out... So that, Bloodstone, is why I am now caring." Hematite said, keeping his blade aimed at Bloodstone.

"You know, it's funny... That old man would have mopped the floor with someone like you..." Hematite shook his head. "Yet he ended up like that... Awhile ago, I decided disease was the very strongest enemy."

"And you, Bloodstone, **are a disease**." Hematite's eyes widened as he grinned.

"And I am going to purge you from the face of this earth. Because I am the strongest..."

"Because a Gem like you should not exist..." Hematite sliced forward, cutting clean through Bloodstone's gem, Bloodstone falling just to reform once more.

"I know you won't be missed."

Bloodstone snarled, spinning around and slashing at Hematite, who blocked with ease.

Bloodstone angrily slashed at Hematite, who side stepped and ducked around each slash.

"I am known as vengeance." A silver glow could be seen through the darkness as Hematite's eyes glowed, and he slashed by Bloodstone, Bloodstone's side being torn open as he roared with anger.

"Retribution." Hematite stabbed backwards, piercing Bloodstone's skull and Gem.

"Your strength will not phase me." Hematite dodged around slash after slash, Bloodstone roaring in rage in between pants.

"So come at me with all your will..." Hematite knocked away Bloodstone's slashes with one blade, his other hand behind his back.

"And know my spirit burns brighter with each and every one you've killed." Hematite shot forward, thrusting forward with the blade he'd had behind his back. He stabbed through Bloodstone's Gem once more.

"Are you... Are you singing right now?!" Bloodstone reformed, and Hematite laughed to himself, smirking lightly.

"Something I picked up from an old friend awhile back." Hematite shrugged, Bloodstone's eyes narrowing.

"But if you insist I be blunt then fine..." Hematite grinned.

" ** _I'm going to drag you to Hell, Reaper_**."

Bloodstone took a step back, Hematite smiling. "That better?"

His smile suddenly curved to an enraged grin, and he shot forward, stabbing his blades again and again into Bloodstone's chest and abdomen.

Bloodstone's eyes were wide and his mouth agape as he was unable to yell out in pain, his body being stabbed to ribbons, Hematite laughing as he stabbed again and again.

Bloodstone stumbled back further and further with each stab, his blood running diluted in the rain.

Bloodstone and Hematite's hair was matted down due to the rain, Hematite's hair over his eyes.

Bloodstone stumbled, falling back and hitting the ground, Hematite planting one last firm stab in his Gem.

Bloodstone regenerated, panting as he sat up slowly, forcing himself to his knees before forcing himself to stand.

"You're looking a little tired there, Reaper." Hematite stood in front of Bloodstone, who panted, wiping soaked hair from his eyes.

"I.. I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine..." Bloodstone panted, before rage entered his eyes once again, and he pulled back his hands, firing wave after wave of energy at Hematite, who dodged with ease.

Bloodstone looked to the shards, grinning. _This'll get him..._

He spun, firing a massive black wave at Zeolite's bubble, and Hematite smirked as he watched.

Hematite appeared before the blast, Death God Slayer in hand as he pulled it back, the blast getting dangerously close.

He grinned, laughing. "Oh, you stupid Reaper..." He slashed to the side and struck the blast, throwing it aside at a ninety degree angle into a giant Gem Spire in The Utopia.

Bloodstone's eyes widened, terror in them as he stared at the grinning Hematite. Roaring, he shot off at Hematite, who jumped forward, ducking down and placing one hand on the ground, ramming one foot into Bloodstone's chin and sending him exploding up through the clouds.

"Oh you've really screwed up now, Reaper."

Bloodstone's head was back as he forced one eye open, his other clamped shut in pain.

Hematite came from the side, slashing across his Gem, destroying him just for him to regenerate.

As he reformed, Hematite slashed back, cutting through his chest this time.

Hematite came back faster this time, cutting through his thigh this time.

Hematite shot back once more, even faster this time.

Hematite continued to shoot back and forth, coming back faster and faster, cutting Bloodstone and his gem to pieces again and again as he kept him suspended in the air.

Hematite spun down from above, slamming his forearms into Bloodstone's throat, both of them flying to the ground as Bloodstone glared up at Hematite, who glared down at him, their faces inches apart.

They exploded into the ground, and Hematite jumped back from the crater made, watching as the dust slowly disappeared.

Bloodstone lay in the crater, thinking rapidly as the dust settled more and more.

 _I... I have to get out of here! I can't die... Not like this... Not ever! I will outlive time itself damn it!_

Bloodstone shot from the crater, wings flapping as he attempted to escape.

"Well..." Hematite watched him fly with a frown.

"That's that, then."

Bloodstone reached further into the sky.

 _I'm going to make it! I'm going to make it! I'm going to-_

 **SLASH.  
**

Bloodstone's eyes widened, and he looked over to see his left wing falling to the ground, burning up in a white fire.

He fell towards the earth, flailing and attempting to catch his balance as he did.

He slammed into the ground, groaning as his remaining wing lay at his side. He had dropped his scythe, which lay about seven feet away from him.

A sword came shooting from the sky, hitting his wing and piercing through it, pinning him to the ground.

Bloodstone winced, reaching for the sword to pull it from his wing.

A blade sliced through the wrist of that hand, his hand falling to the ground in a white flame.

"GAH!" Bloodstone exclaimed, choking down a roar of pain as Hematite loomed over him.

"N-now Hematite, I know what you're thinking." Bloodstone laughed nervously, a cold sweat running down his face.

"Should I or shouldn't I kill this guy?" Bloodstone reached up towards Hematite, holding out his hand as if to defend from attack.

"Now the answer might surprise you-"

Bloodstone's other hand was kicked to the ground, Hematite's foot stomping down on his wrist, making him scream in pain.

Hematite pulled his other blade from it's sheath, stabbing it down through Bloodstone's other hand and pinning him on that side as well.

"Gah! H-H-Hematite, p-please, show some mercy..!" Bloodstone begged, Hematite grinning as he grabbed Bloodstone by the neck, leaning over him.

"Mercy?" Hematite laughed. "Killing you is merciful, just not to you. Cleaning a monstrous stain like you from existence is the most merciful thing I can think of. I'm sparing billions just by killing you, here and now." Hematite's hair covered his eyes as he frowned, pulling back one fist.

"Time to die, friend."

Hematite was over Bloodstone, pulling back his fists and slamming them down into his face and Gem again and again and again.

Bloodstone was shattered again and again and again, reforming back into the same pinned body again and again and again.

Hematite was at it for what could have been hours, grinning all the way. Smashing Bloodstone under his fists again and again.

Grinning as his hands began to bleed. As blood splattered across his face. As Bloodstone screamed and begged for mercy before eventually going silent.

Hematite pulled back his fist one last time, and he felt as if someone was trying to hold his arm there.

It seemed as if a phantom of gold stood there, hanging onto his arm and crying, shaking her head, begging for him to stop.

Hematite roared, pulling his fist free. He threw one last punch, slamming it down into Bloodstone's Gem, the crater below them deepening as he did so.

Bloodstone lay there, quiet as his blood was spilled once more.

Hematite panted as he stared down at him, the anger fading from his eyes. That anguish replaced it.

Eventually, Hematite stood, looking down at Bloodstone. "Well, that's all of them..."

Hematite sighed, placing his blood stained hands in his pockets. Blood was splattered across his face.

"You're down to your last life, Reaper..." Bloodstone lay there, panting, struggling against the things pinning him there.

"So now you lay there, struggling under the blades of Retribution." Hematite took a deep breath, his exhaling making a mist, the cold of the rain having brought the Utopia to a chilling temperature.

"Tell me... Was it worth it?" Hematite arched a brow at Bloodstone, who just continued to struggle, gritting his teeth and grunting in frustration.

"Everything that happened... Was this 'strength' you got from destroying Pyrite really worth all of this? Would you rather die here, like this, than have died back then, in her arms?" Hematite waited for a response from Bloodstone, who said nothing, growing still.

"Tell me, Bloodstone..." Hematite's voice faltered. The music faded out.

"You... You have to tell me!" Hematite grabbed Hematite by the collar, pulling him up slightly as he leaned down.

"I have to know!" Tears formed in Hematite's eyes. "Did you feel anything?! Tell me you felt bad, please, Bloodstone! Tell me somewhere in there, my friend is still alive!"

Bloodstone just stared blankly at him.

"Please, Bloodstone..." Hematite lowered his head, tears falling from his eyes and onto Bloodstone.

"Tell me that you can hear me, somewhere in there..! Tell me on some level that you're sorry..!"

"Heh..." Bloodstone's blank and confused expression slowly began to form a grin.

"No..." Hematite shook his head slowly, the grief in his eyes growing.

"Heheheh..." Bloodstone's eyes widened, tears rolling down his cheeks as he took up that manic look of his.

"No no no..." Hematite's grip tightened, Bloodstone coughing blood as he laughed.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Hematite shook for a moment as he looked down, before letting go of Bloodstone, the collision with the ground not stopping his laughter, tears streaming down his face.

"I see..." Hematite wiped a tear away, his voice returning to it's normal coldness along with his expression.

"..." Hematite drew Death God Slayer, Bloodstone's laughter ringing across the Gem Utopia.

"I would say goodbye to my old friend... But he's been dead for awhile, huh..?"

Hematite pulled Death God Slayer into the air, flipping it around so that the blade faced down.

"So if you see him, Imposter, tell him I'm sorry I let it come to this."

 **CRACK.**

Hematite stared down at Bloodstone, watching as he continued to laugh, white flames over taking him as his gem and body alike were burned away.

Hematite sheathed Death God Slayer, placing one hand in his pocket as he watched with his indifferent expression. With his other hand, he held up Zeolite's shards.

But Bloodstone just kept laughing, his body burnt to a skeleton, which slowly burnt away, his Gem cracking more and more.

 _Stop that... Stop laughing at me..._

* * *

"So, did any of you have any luck?" Matrix looked around at the room full of other Gems, all shaking their heads.

"And there's no sign of Hematite either..." Pearl said, sitting at one of the stools at Steven's counter, leaning he head onto one hand.

"You don't think Hematite helped Bloodstone escape, do you?" Howlite questioned, glancing around at all of them.

"He did seem seriously troubled by something..." Pearl said, placing a fist under her chin.

"No!" Steven shot up. "There's no way Hematite would do something like that!" He protested. "Hematite is a good guy! Just like any of you!"

"Hm... No, Steven is right." Pearl nodded. "Hematite would never go back to Bloodstone. I could feel the anger coming off from him towards Bloodstone..." Pearl sighed, looking down.

"Then where are they?" Amethyst said, looking around.

"Yeah, I mean, Gems don't just vani-" Emerald was cut off, the warp pad in Steven's household lighting up the room.

Hematite stood there, cloak draped over his shoulder. He held the cloak up with Bloodstone's scythe, which seemed to have stayed after Bloodstone's destruction.

He must have sent Zeolite's shards back to wherever they were hidden, holding one hand in front of him, his soaked hair covering his eyes as the hand was clenched into a fist, as if holding something.

"Oh, good, Hematite-" Pearl stood, walking towards Hematite before stopping, feeling all of the... Well, not so good emotions he seemed to radiate.

"... Uh... Hematite..?" Steven said, walking slightly past Pearl.

"Where were you?" Matrix questioned, arching a brow at Hematite.

"Yeah, and what's with the water?" Emerald questioned, standing as well.

Hematite tipped his hand to the side, dropping a fist full of black and red shards.

All of the eyes in the room followed the shards as they fell to the ground, hitting the wood floor with a clatter.

"A-... Are those..." Peridot couldn't seem to get the words out, everyone staring at the shards with wide eyes.

"It's over." Hematite said simply, stepping over the shards. Upon closer inspection, it seemed the red lines on his skin had disappeared.

As if the death of Bloodstone had cleansed him of those sins.

As if anything ever could.

Everyone kept their eyes on those shards, paralyzed with shock. Hematite walked towards the door, pushing it open into the cloudy beach.

Pearl looked up as the screen door closed behind Hematite, everyone else not even noticing.

Pearl shook her head, walking out the door after Hematite.

Hematite was already down the stairs as Pearl followed quickly.

"Hematite." Pearl said, and he stopped, not looking back at her.

"Shouldn't you be celebrating? You did it. You all defeated Bloodstone." Hematite looked down.

"Hematite, what happened..?" Pearl closed the distance between them, Hematite's back facing her.

"Please, we can help yo-"

Pearl reached out towards Hematite, who spun around, drawing his blade in an instant.

Pearl's eyes widened, looking up at the blade aimed directly at her Gem.

Hematite glared at her, hate in his eyes.

For but a second, that hate was replaced with sorrow, and his blade shook, Hematite dropping it into the sand.

Pearl would have sighed with relief, but something about this didn't seem all that relieving. Hematite stared at her with glowing silver eyes.

"Hematite... I don't exactly know what's going on with you but... Steven, the other Gems and I, can help you through it. So just come back inside, alright?" Pearl said, and Hematite laughed lightly.

"Pearl... Don't you have anything better to do?" Hematite questioned, before turning around without giving her a chance to answer.

She just watched as he walked off.

Pearl looked to the ground, sighing as Hematite walked off, feeling a ting of sympathy.

 _Hurt (Unplugged)_ 's second verse _(still by Trent Reznor)_ began playing as Hematite walked off.

 _I wear this crown of thorns... Upon my liars chair..._ Hematite adjusted Bloodstone's scythe, blood dripping from him along with the water that soaked him.

 _Full of broken thoughts... I cannot, repair._ Thunder boomed in the clouds, Hematite's head down as images of Zeolite, Bloodstone, and this golden, third gem shimmering around him.

 _Beneath the stains of time... The feelings disappear..._ Hematite's feet left impressions in the sand. His hair covered his eyes as water dripped from his face. Whether it was from the rain or from tears, the world may never know.

 _You are someone else..._ Hematite's hands shook as he thought of Bloodstone, what he was and what he became.

 _I am still right here..._ Hematite stopped at the water, looking out into it as his free hand clenched into a fist.

 _What have I become?_ Hematite touched the blood staining his face, looking at it on his fingers, his eyes widening in disgust and fear of himself.

 _My sweetest friend..._ Hematite looked to his side, seeing that shimmering white specter looking out into the water with him. He was beginning to think he'd gone off the deep end.

 _Everyone I know, goes away... In the end._ Hematite looked to Bloodstone's scythe in his arm, to the shimmering white specter next to him, and listened to a familiar crying that he was sure only he could hear.

 _And you could have it all! My empire of dirt!_ Hematite glanced back at Steven's house, watching as it was alight with ceiling lights, the blinds closed as he could see shadows of Gems walking around and talking in there.

 _I will let you down!_ Hematite closed his eyes as he turned back to the water, images of Pyrite's, Zeolite's, and most recently Bloodstone's death flashing before his eyes.

 _I will make you hurt..._ Hematite sighed, letting Bloodstone's scythe fall to the ground before him. He put a hand over his face, shaking his head.

 _If I could start again..._ Hematite looked to his cloak and Bloodstone's scythe on the ground. "What did I do..?" He questioned below a whisper.

 _A million miles away..._ Steven stood behind Hematite, watching with those empathizing eyes of his.

 _I would keep myself..._ Steven reached out to Hematite, grabbing hold of his free hand. Hematite looked over his shoulder at him, sadness in his eyes as Steven smiled. Hematite found a light smile creeping across his face as well.

 _I would find a way..._ All of the Gems in the house looked to the door as it opened, Steven leading Hematite inside. They all smiled as well.

"Well..." The music faded out, and while his hair covered his eyes, Hematite smiled.

 **"I do believe a party is in order."  
**

* * *

 **And there you have it.  
**

 **Bloodstone's finally dead.**

 **Ya happy now?**

 **Lookin' at you, yutch . matches.  
**

 **Feels is such a great Holidays present, isn't it?**

 **Heh...**

 **Anyway, yeah, that's the end of Bloodstone. I will do an aftermath chapter after next chapter, which will be a silly filler chapter that I wish I could have put in today.  
**

 **"It's a Crystal Gem Christmas!"**

 **Heheh... That should be a nice amount of happy to counter act all of this sadness.  
**

 **Please Favorite Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	59. Chapter 58:It's a Crystal Gem Christmas!

**Thanks go to: Guest, Guest, Kagehime-sama53, Guest, Ergoan, yutch . matches, KillJoyGem, StoryWriter2003, and S U fan.  
**

 **To answer the question I've gotten a few times, no. This story is not even close to over. There's another huge ark, possibly bigger than the Bloodstone ark, coming up. Just wait until next chapter, when we get a peek at it.**

 **anyway, I seriously needed a happy chapter after last chapter. This takes place a few weeks after the Bloodstone thing, on Christmas, duh, but don't worry, after this chapter, we'll go back in chronological order and do the aftermath chapter. I just needed to do this sometime around Christmas.**

 **Oh god the feels from last chapter still haunt me...**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"Alright Steven..." Matrix yawned, stretching. "Why did you call us all here?"

"Yeah, some of us have jobs to do." Emerald said.

"Emerald, what are you talking about?" Greg arched a brow at him. "The car wash still isn't up and running."

"Well, I mean, not me, but I'm sure someone had something to do." Emerald shrugged.

"I was having a deep and meaningful conversation with myself." The Cluster crossed his arms, and Emerald arched a brow at him.

"Uh... Mmmkay." Emerald took one large step away from the forced fusion.

Steven laughed, standing before the crown of Crystal Gems with his father and Connie. The original Crystal Gems stood behind him.

"Did you guys find something? Are more Gems coming to attack us? Because so help me god I will take one of those ships and flying it into the sun before I deal with another Bloo-" Howlite was cut off by Steven.

"No no, nothing like that." Steven waved a hand dismissively. "It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

"Meh." Matrix looked out the window, watching the wind howl by. "I prefer Summer."

"While I do like Winter, I wouldn't really pick a best time of the year." Howlite leaned back on his chair, crossing his arms.

"He means it's Christmas." Greg said.

"What's a Christmas?" 107 arched a brow, leaning against the wall.

"Christmas: An earthling day of celebration in which children get presents from a morbidly obese man who rides around the earth in a single night, December 24th, and leaves presents under a pine tree that earthlings cut down, drag into their homes, and decorate. He will also leave smaller gifts in socks that they hang up." Peridot said, and everyone looked to her in surprise in unison.

"What?" She looked around. "Things have been slow lately... I spend my time reading up on Earthling history..." She crossed her arms, looking to the side.

"Fair enough." Matrix shrugged.

"I could be wrong, but isn't breaking and entering a felony?" 107 questioned.

"Well, Santa isn't real." Greg said.

"Yeah, it's just a fun part of the holiday." Connie added.

"You see..." The Gems and humans went on to explain Christmas to the other Gems, who all watched with an expression that was bored in some, full of wonder in others, and slightly disturbed in others.

"Okay... But why are you telling us? You don't want us to buy you presents, do you?" Matrix questioned. "Because that seems out of characteristically greedy of you, kid."

"No, no!" Steven chuckled. "It's because we're doing a Secret Santa!" He threw his arms up into the air, and all of the Gems just arched a brow at him once again.

"Santa Claus is Chris Kringle. Also known as Saint Nickolas Mystery solved." Peridot stood, walking towards the door.

"Wait Peridot that's not what I meant!" Steven called out after her, and she stopped, sighing.

"Then what do you mean?" Amazonite arched a brow at Steven.

"Alright, so everyone picks a name out of this hat, right?" Steven held up a top hat full of slips of paper. "Whoever you get you have to get a gift for! But you can't tell who you got that you're the one buying them the gift!"

Several questions and explanations later, The Gems lined up, each of them getting a slip of paper.

 _Hm..._ Was a thought than ran through all of their heads as they looked at their papers.

"Heh, well this is easy." Emerald laughed lightly, placing his slip in his pocket.

"Hm..." Hematite stared at his own paper, as if thinking.

"Alright everybody, that is all! Christmas is in two weeks! Good luck!" And with that, all of them were off.

* * *

Hematite sat on Steven's couch, as if thinking, stroking his imaginary beard.

"Sup, Hematite?" Amethyst slid onto the couch next to him.

"Oh, nothing, just trying to figure out what to give the person I got." Hematite shrugged. "It seems like a waste of time to me, but I know Steven won't be happy if I don't do it."

Amethyst looked over his shoulder at his slip of paper, and grinned.

"Aw, and here I was hoping I would get Pearl." She laughed.

"Yeah, but I have no idea what to get her." Hematite shrugged. "A sword or something?"

"Nah, she's got hundreds of 'em." Amethyst said, sinking into the couch.

"Here's an idea..." Amethyst popped up. "You help me get a gift for Cluster, I'll help you get a gift for Pearl."

"Getting a gift for Cluster? Maybe a couple years of intense therapy..." Hematite thought aloud, and Amethyst laughed, punching him in the shoulder.

"And here I thought you wouldn't have a sense of humor!"

* * *

Emerald walked by Howlite, whistling.

Howlite growled as he looked at his paper, and Emerald stopped.

"What's up?" Emerald sat in the beach chair next to Howlite, despite the chill in the air.

"I got Matrix, of all people..." Howlite rolled his eyes.

"Hah! No way! I got Peridot!" Emerald laughed.

"So?" Howlite arched a brow at him.

"So all we need are a few bows and a sense of humor." Emerald grinned, and a grin crept across Howlite's face as well.

"And they say we aren't evil."

* * *

Amazonite stared at her slip of paper, sitting at the foot of her bed.

"What to get him..? Some sort of joke book? No, stupid, stupid..." She rolled her eyes.

She heard a knock at her apartment door, and stood, walking over to it and opening it.

"Hey, you know stuff about emeralds, right?" Blue Diamond leaned against the wall outside of Amazonite's door.

"Uh... A few things, yes..." Amazonite said, Blue Diamond pushing past her and into her room.

"Good. Then do you have any idea what I should get 107?" Blue Diamond arched a brow at Amazonite.

"I'm kind of preoccupied thinking about what to get Emerald..." Amazonite looked down, and Blue Diamond's face lit up.

"Yo got Emerald?! Ooh, this is so much more important!" Blue Diamond ran up to Amazonite, who looked surprise to say the least.

"Alright, all you need is a mistletoe and no clothes other than a big bow!" Blue Diamond said, and Amazonite's face lit up in red.

"W-what?!" She took a step back, Blue Diamond jumping giddily.

"It'll be great! Well, I dunno, Emerald seems like he'd be kind of a disappointment..." Blue Diamond stroked her imaginary beard.

"W-wait, back up a second!"

* * *

Steven laughed, watching something on his phone. It seemed to be a play through of some sort of video game.

"Oh Papyrus, you precious cinnamon roll you." Steven laughed, and 107 glanced over his shoulder.

"Steven, that is a skeleton. Not a cinnamon roll." 107 said, and Steven shook his head.

"No no, the term "Precious Cinnamon Roll" means someone who is to precious and sweet for this world." Steven explained, and 107 looked as if he was struck with an idea.

"Steven... Do you know how to make these... Cinnamon Rolls?"

* * *

Peridot groaned, looking down at her slip, which read "Greg".

"Havin' some trouble?" Lapis arched a brow at her, sitting in the deck chair next to her.

"How am I supposed to know what to get the middle aged human?" Peridot crossed her arms, huffing in defeat.

"Heh, you think that's difficult. I'm stuck with getting something for Howlite." Lapis said, leaning back in her chair as Peridot looked over at her.

"You can control water, right? Maybe you could make him a sweater out of tears. I'm sure he'd like that." Peridot laughed to herself.

"Oh come on, he's not that bad." Lapis crossed her arms.

"He has acted pleasant once in all of the time that I have known him." Peridot said.

"When was that?"

"Remember when he first showed up with Blue Diamond and was unconscious for awhile?"

Lapis laughed, smacking Peridot's back, making her jump.

"Come on, we've gotta find something for them."

* * *

"Ah..." Howlite leaned back in his chair, the night growing colder.

"Howlite?" Pearl asked, stepping out onto the deck.

Howlite's right eye opened, and he grumbled about something.

"Yes?" He said irritably.

"Do you have any idea what Blue Diamond would want?" She asked, and Howlite's other eye snapped open wide with his right.

"Something sex related, I'm sure..." Howlite rolled his eyes. "Maybe just get her a ten foot tall stack of pornography..." Howlite grumbled, closing his eyes once again.

"... Well, I don't know about that..." Pearl said, surprised by his answer.

"Look, I don't know, if you're asking me she shouldn't get anything but an eviction notice from all of us." Howlite said angrily.

"... Well, someone's got pent up anger..." Pearl muttered.

"What was your first clue, ballerina?" Howlite closed his eyes again, and Pearl rolled her eyes, not willing to deal with him as she walked off.

* * *

Most of the Gems had gotten together in teams by now to find other Gems presents, searching the city for presents.

"Hmm..." Connie looked at a paper reading the name 'Hematite', thinking.

She looked outside, watching snow flakes fall, remembering noticing that Hematite no longer had that cloak.

"Hm..." She nodded, jumping up and stepping over to her computer.

* * *

"So, you need me to make you a shirt?" Buck Dewey arched a brow at Amethyst and Hematite, who nodded in unison.

"And what do you want it to say again?" He questioned, and Amethyst whispered in his ear.

"... That's hilarious." He said in his usual stoic tone, and Hematite and Amethyst smirked.

* * *

Howlite and Emerald sat on Steven's roof, each of them holding drinks with little umbrella's in them despite the light snow.

They had clearly finished their Christmas shopping early.

They laughed lightly, clanking their drinks together.

* * *

"S-seriously Blue Diamond, I don't know about this..!" Amazonite said as Blue Diamond jumped around her, measuring her.

"Nonsense!" Blue Diamond smiled wide as she measured her, taking notes as she did so.

"Can't we just focus on your present for 107?!" Amazonite said, and Blue Diamond looked up at her from her measuring.

"Mmm..." She thought, tapping her chin with one finger.

"Yes!" She pointed upward, jumping up. "Come on Amazonite, we must go! We can't focus on your present all day!" And just like that, Blue Diamond was out the door.

Amazonite breathed a sigh of relief. "It's a good thing your crazy..."

"Crazy with Christmas spirit!" Blue Diamond burst back through the door, making Amazonite jump.

"Now come on!" She grabbed Amazonite, yanking her out the door.

* * *

Peridot and Lapis walked through the city, looking around. It seemed that most of the city had been repaired, The Gems having been helping for awhile.

It was a good thing no humans were killed, then they would have been thrown out of the city without question. What with all the trouble they caused these humans.

"This is difficult..." Lapis said, walking by the newly repaired Fryman's Fries.

"I'm telling you, just get Howlite a cup full of Children's tears." Peridot said, and Lapis laughed.

"Or maybe sacrifice a goat to him." Peridot said, Lapis laughing harder.

Howlite glanced over at them from the counter of Fryman's Fries with Emerald.

"No no, maybe I'll just give him a sack of puppies and a bucket of water to dunk them in." Lapis joked, Peridot laughing as they walked along.

"Eee, that had to sting." Emerald said, looking to Howlite.

"..." Howlite glared at them as they walked away, before his glare faded. "Am I... Am I really that bad?" Howlite said, glancing over at Emerald.

"Uh... Yeah, kinda." Emerald shrugged, nodding.

"... I'm not hungry anymore." Howlite's eyes narrowed, and he turned around, walking back towards the temple.

"Yeesh, that had to hurt." Fryman said from behind the counter.

"Nah, I'm sure he's fine. Nothing ever gets to Howlite." Emerald shrugged. "I'm sure he'll be back to normal within the hour."

"You sure? He looked pretty... Not happy when he left." Fryman said.

"Howlite's never happy." Emerald said, taking a small box of fries.

"Maybe you should look into that."

"I don't need your friend counseling, Fryman."

"Whatever you say."

* * *

Howlite crossed his arms as he moved through the city, night falling once more as he grumbled, his breath making streams of steam in the air.

"Why should I care what they think, anyway?" He asked himself, kicking a can and sending it flying into the stratosphere.

"They're just a bunch of clowns that I'm using to stay alive... Nothing more, nothing less." Howlite's teeth grit.

"I've never cared what people thought of me before, why start now?" Howlite looked up at the sky, staring at the stars.

He growled, kicking a trash can and sending it exploding through someone's fence.

"Why care about anything?!" Howlite seemed to be throwing a temper tantrum.

* * *

Peridot seemed to be looking over the broken down ship 107 and Connie had left on their beach a few weeks back, stroking her imaginary beard as she looked it over.

Emerald, 107, and her had been fixing up the ship in their spare time, and as she had decided she would just get Greg a pizza or something for Christmas, she had some spare time.

She heard the beeping of smoke detectors, and looked over to Steven's home, watching Steven and 107 burst from the house, smoke following close behind them as they coughed and gagged.

She sighed, laughing lightly as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey Peridot!"

Peridot jumped, looking up to Blue Diamond as she withheld a scream.

"Where did you come from?!" She barked.

"That is a good question..." Blue Diamond stroked her imaginary beard.

"But it's not important right now! I need you to make me something!" Blue Diamond said, and Peridot arched a brow at her.

"Uh... Okay, what do you need?" Peridot said, still slightly intimidated by Blue Diamond's presence.

"Can you make a pocket sized canister to hold some of my energy?" Blue Diamond questioned.

"Hm..." Peridot grabbed a few of the tools and hunks of metal she'd been using to fix up the ship with, and after a minute or two of welding sounds and hammer banging, she was handing a small capsule to Blue Diamond.

"In order to fill it, you just have to charge up while holding it." Peridot said, looking back to the ship.

"Thanks Peridot!" And just like that, Blue Diamond was gone, Peridot sighing in relief.

"I wonder what she needed that for..?" Peridot wondered aloud, holding a nail in her mouth as she worked.

* * *

Amazonite sat in her room, looking through a catalog to find something for Emerald.

Blue Diamond exploded through her room door, almost making her jump out of her skin.

"I got my present! Now back to yours!" Blue Diamond pulled out the roll of measuring tape again, and Amazonite grimaced.

"I really don't think this is the best idea..!"

"Nonsense!"

* * *

"Well what do you think I should get her?"

"I dunno. Do you know?"

"Nope."

"What about you?"

"Not a clue."

The Cluster stroked his imaginary beard, walking into Steven's home.

"I believe I know the word to define this situation." 107 said, looking at the pile of burnt, under cooked, and overall disaster Cinnamon Rolls.

"What's that?" Steven was covered in sugar and other ingredients.

"Hopeless." 107 nodded, and Steven's shoulders sunk.

"Hm..." The Cluster stared at the pile of messed up cinnamon rolls, which reached the ceiling.

"Oh, hey Cluster." Steven smiled over at the Cluster, stepping by different messes throughout the kitchen to him.

"..." The Cluster nodded once or twice as he looked over the pile, reaching for one of the poor excuses for food.

"Hey wait, I wouldn't eat th-" 107 stopped mid sentence, watching as the Cluster bit into the roll, his eyes widening.

"That's putrid."

"Kill it with fire."

"Oh sweet merciful Neptune!"

"Only fire can cleanse us of these sins."

"Well that wasn't bad at all."

Steven and 107 watched, still adjusting to the Cluster's different voices.

"Hm..." The Cluster dropped the roll, nodding twice.

"I'VE GOT IT!" Five voices said at once, 107 hiding his surprise while Steven jumped from his unusual rise in voice.

"You two." The Cluster spun to face 107 and Steven, flicking himself in the head as if to calm the five main Gems.

"Yes?" 107 answered.

"These putrid Cinnamon Rolls... The Amethyst would probably like them. May I take them for her present?" The Cluster questioned.

It was then that Pearl came through her door, her eyes widening as she saw the mess taking up Steven's home.

She just stood there, eyes wide as she stuttered, as if she'd short circuited.

"Take them and run. For everyone's safety." 107 looked to the Cluster, a serious expression on his face.

* * *

Howlite sat on Emerald's couch, watching as Scrooge was visited by his third ghost.

"What a bunch of garbage..." Howlite crossed his arms, putting his feet up on the coffee table.

"Bah humbug..." He looked out the window, seeing that no snow had been able to stay over night in the beach city, making it seem like it wouldn't be a white Christmas.

* * *

Christmas rolled around faster than anyone thought, but everyone managed to finish their missions in time.

Steven sat up slowly, yawning with a stretch.

He rubbed his eyes, before they widened, and he glanced at the shining tree in his living room before looking out the window.

He frowned, seeing no snow had found it's way to the earth, looking down for a moment before jumping up, that grin reappearing on his face.

"IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

It didn't take long for all of the Gems to be assembled at Steven's home, each of them baring some sort of gift.

A party went on for most of the day, the presents not being given until the end of the night.

Howlite stood in a corner, watching bitterly as it went on.

"I just wish there was some snow..." Steven looked down, and from across the room Howlite glanced at him.

"I had arranged for a snow ball fight for all of us, but with no snow..."

"Well who do we know with ice powers?" Greg asked, clearly meaning Howlite.

"I seriously doubt Howlite of all people would help us with a snowball fight." Connie said.

"..." Howlite grit his teeth as he watched.

"Connie! It' not nice to talk behind people's backs." Steven said, crossing his arms and giving her a scolding look.

"She's kinda right, son. I can't imagine he even got anyone a present. I hope he didn't get me to give a gift to... He'd probably just give me a Charlie Horse for Christmas." Greg joked, Connie laughing lightly.

Steven watched as Howlite stomped by, an aura of anger coming off of him.

 _He wants snow I'll give that little sh!t snow I'll give him more god damn snow than his entire race could handle I'll put this planet in another ice age with my blizzard so help me god I'll-_

Howlite went on in his head as he stomped along, grabbing Lapis by the wrist as he did, surprising her.

"Howlite? Hey, wait, what are you doing?" Lapis said, surprised as she was pulled out the door.

"Huh... I wonder what they could be doing." Amazonite said, and Emerald looked at her, wiggling his eyebrows.

"We both know what they're doing." He said, and Amazonite laughed, playfully shoving him, resulting in him being knocked out of his chair.

Amazonite looked over, seeing Blue Diamond mouthing 'Do iiiiiiiiiiit' from across the room.

"No!" She mouthed back at her, and Blue Diamond nodded.

"Yes!"

Emerald stood up, dusting himself off. The mouthing conversation stopped as he did.

"Hey, wanna do something funny?" Emerald questioned.

"Sure." Amazonite said quickly, ignoring the disapproving looks from Blue Diamond from across the room.

"Ya see, there's this whole thing with this strange plant on Earth." Emerald pulled out a long stick, which had a mistletoe at the end of it.

"Whenever two people are caught under it, they _have_ to kiss. It's like a law or something..." Emerald shrugged.

"Emerald, you're an evil genius." Amazonite grinned.

* * *

"Howlite, what are we doing up here?" Lapis arched a brow at Howlite. He had led her to Steven's roof.

"You're gonna make it rain, I'm gonna freeze the rain to snow." Howlite crossed his arms.

"Huh?" Lapis was thrown off once again. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Because the friggin' kid wants it to snow, so we're gonna make it snow!" Howlite said with irrational anger.

"That's... Strangely kind for you." Lapis said, taken aback by this action.

"Yeah, well when I'm not drinking cups of children's tears or drowning puppies, I actually can be a pretty good guy." Howlite said with spite in his voice, and Lapis looked guilty.

"Oh... You uh, you heard that..." She rubbed the back of her head nervously, looking to the side.

"Just bring down the rain. Then you can go back to saying things behind my back." Howlite looked out angrily to the clouds in the sky, which looked as if they were fit to pour.

"... Right..." Lapis clearly felt guilty, reaching up to the clouds.

* * *

"So you're telling me this 'Sans' also throws people around and tells them of an imminent bad time?" 107 questioned, and as Steven nodded, he looked out the window, hearing the howling of wind.

Snow fell, and his eyes widened.

"It's snowing!"

He had burst out the door in an instant, struggling with his snow gear. The gems quickly followed along with Connie and Greg.

"Merry Christmas, kid." Howlite smirked down at Steven, stars appearing in Steven's eyes as the snow rained down.

"Howlite..." Steven said, his eyes wide with his mouth agape.

"You're the coolest!" Steven snapped with both hands, pointing at Howlite, who's smirk faded.

Steven was instantly buried under a pile of snow.

Steven burst from the snow, laughing. "Snow ball fight!"

The fight went on for hours, everyone pelting one another with snow, Steven eventually coming out the winner.

 **(Hush, I'm running low on time.)**

With mild laughter the Gems came back into Steven's home, covered with snow.

"Well..." Pearl knocked snow off of herself. "I believe it is time for presents."

The Gems went through opening presents, all those who were not mentioned in gift hunting opening first.

"Connie, come on, we've gotta give Garnet her present!" Steven pulled Connie in front of Garnet.

Garnet watched happily as the two fused.

"Steven that's-" Garnet was cut off.

"Wait! We haven't shown you the best part!" Stevonnie cut her off, holding one hand in front of her face.

In an instant, a pair of shades similar to Garnet's appeared over their face, and Garnet's face lit up, a grin crossing her face as she held her hands in front of her, the same expression she'd had when they first formed Stevonnie.

"... Hematite..." Pearl held up a shirt that read in big bold letters

 **"iddy biddy tiddy committee"**

"What exactly is a tiddy?" She questioned, looking up at Hematite, who kept a straight face as Amethyst died of laughter behind him, Hematite using all of his will power to stop from bursting into laughter.

"Oh, it's nothing, trust me." Pearl's eyes narrowed as Hematite's facial expression seemed to be forcing itself to keep from cracking a grin.

"... Unhuh..." Pearl's eyes narrowed at them, rolling up the shirt and throwing it over her shoulder.

"I don't trust you for a second, not with Amethyst laughing like that..."

"I... Heheh... I don't know what you're talking about... Pfffttt!" Hematite burst into laughter, remembering Amethyst's description of what the shirt would mean.

Connie looked over her shoulder as something tapped on it, and she looked to see 107 holding a cinnamon roll in his hands.

"Huh?" 107 handed her the Cinnamon Roll, which had a small note of paper on it that read the word 'Precious'.

107 kept his blank expression as he snapped, pointing at her.

Connie looked confused to say the least before 107 spun around, stepping away from her and out the door.

"... What..?" She tilted her head to the side, clearly baffled.

Amethyst could be seen devouring a gigantic Santa bag full of failed cinnamon rolls as the Cluster held a strange teddy bear made with parts from different teddy bears sewn together.

"Huh..." The Cluster found something strange about this teddy bear...

He suddenly brought it to his chest, squeezing it.

The Cluster found it adorable.

"Hey Peridot, I got your present!" Emerald grinned, pushing Matrix towards her, having placed a bow on his head. Matrix looked confused to say the least.

"Oh very funny-" Peridot was cut off, feeling a bow being placed on her head as Howlite pushed her towards Matrix as well.

"And Matrix I got your present." Howlite grinned mischievously before Emerald burst into laughter, forcing him to as well.

"Oh ha ha." Matrix crossed his arms, face red.

A mistletoe slowly rose over his and Peridot's heads, and Matrix glared at Emerald, who held it shakily, laughing harder.

There was a punching sound, and Peridot and Matrix walked away, together, Emerald on the ground with a bump on his head.

"Why didn't you get hit?!" Emerald snapped at Howlite, who shrugged.

"Because if he hits me I'm gonna hit back."

Steven could be seen jumping excitedly with a ukelele given to him by his father, this one having a large star on it.

Hematite sat with Amethyst, still laughing off his gift to Pearl.

Connie walked up to him. "Uh, Hematite... I got your present." Hematite looked to her as she spoke.

She held up a cloak that resembled Hematite's old one, but this one having a star over the heart.

Hematite's eyes glowed silver before he looked at this cloak, and a smile came to his face.

"Why thank you, Connie." He took the cloak. "So uh... No hard feelings about breaking your arm, right?"

"With me, no. But steer clear of my parents." Connie laughed, and Hematite laughed as well.

"Here you go." Pearl said, handing Blue Diamond a box holding something blue and folded up.

"Hm?" Blue Diamond opened up the box, pulling out what seemed to be a blue flag with a blue diamond on it, similar to Rose's flag.

A smile appeared on Blue Diamond's face.

"Why I haven't seen one of these in ages! Where did you find one?" Blue Diamond said, looking over the flag.

"Amethyst had one just lying around in her room. I have no idea where she found it but my guess is she won't miss it." Pearl shrugged.

"Aw, you went in that mess just for me?" Blue Diamond scooped Pearl up in a hug, shaking her around as she grinned happily, Pearl flailing.

Greg could be seen offering a piece of his pizza to Peridot, who politely turned it down.

Howlite smirked, watching before spinning around, opening the door and walking out.

"T'is better to give than to receive, they say." He shrugged, stepping out into the snow.

"Howlite, wait!" Lapis ran out after him, and his expression grew cold.

"What do you want?" He asked coldly, turning to face her with crossed arms.

"I wanted to apologize..." She said, rubbing her arm as she looked down.

"It was wrong for me to say that about you..." She said, guilt clear in her voice.

"Yeah, it was." Howlite said, his expression refusing to warm.

"But, to make it up to you..." Lapis reached into her pocket, pulling out what seemed to be a Looking Gem, similar to the one Matrix has.

"A stupid picture rock?" He crossed his arms.

"It's got pictures of of things like Bloodstone's face when you first went God Eater." Lapis shrugged, turning around as she had clearly sparked Howlite's interest.

"But if you don't want it then fine." She opened the door, but Howlite jumped in front of her.

"Now lets not be hasty here!" Howlite said. "All is forgiven, all is forgiven. Can I have my present now?" Howlite said, and Lapis laughed, tossing him the Gem.

"I figured that would get you." Lapis laughed.

Howlite looked at the Gem, realizing that the picture it currently showed was Lapis kissing him on the cheek before leaving him at the Gem Utopia to hold off Bloodstone.

A light red appeared on Howlite's pale cheeks, the same color coming to Lapis's.

They both looked up, seeing Emerald's mistletoe floating over them.

"Heh..." 107 held up the mistletoe, holding Blue Diamond's power cell in his other hand as he stood in Prototype Mode.

Emerald laughed, standing next to him.

Howlite growled at them, stepping towards them as Lapis took a step back, her face lighting up.

"Uh... 107, we should run..." Emerald stepped back, but 107 waved a hand dismissively.

"Watch. This." 107 whispered, pointing his glowing green hand at Howlite as he jumped towards them, roaring in anger and embarrassment.

 _Undertale - Megalovania (Wisp X Remix) (Original_ by _TobyFox)_ suddenly blared at the fast part as 107 took hold of Howlite, Howlite lifting into the air with surprise before being violently thrown around into snow drifts.

His curse words were drowned out as he was thrown into snow again and again.

Emerald laughed hysterically.

"Alright, I can only do this for about an hour so laugh while you can, because I get the feeling we're both gonna die after this." 107 said to Emerald as he threw Howlite effortlessly.

"L-e-e-et me-e-e d-own!"

"Do you feel your sins crawling on your back yet?"

"I am gonna kick your ass!"

"Then no!"

* * *

The music had disappeared as another time skip appeared, Emerald and 107 covered in bruises as Howlite glared at them from across the room.

"Here ya go. I can't believe you already used up all of the energy in there." Blue Diamond said, handing 107 another charged Power Cell.

"It was for a good cause." 107 assured her, taking the power cell.

"Well, I think it's about time we wrap this up." Hematite said, standing and crossing his arms.

"I agre-..." Pearl stood next to him, before looking to see Emerald holding the mistletoe above them, grinning.

The two simply turned away from one another, walking to other sides of the house without a word.

"Aw come on, no one's going for it..." Emerald frowned, resting his head in his hand.

He felt someone tap on his shoulder, and looked to see Amazonite holding the mistletoe above them, smiling as she kissed his cheek.

"Eheheh... Alright, I guess that works." Emerald laughed, rubbing his cheek with a light blush.

"Well, it's not what I would have went for, but alright." Blue Diamond shrugged.

With some cheer, everyone left Steven's Christmas party, Howlite pushing the snow aside in paths for everyone in one last good deed.

Steven waved at them from the deck. "Goodbye!" He called.

 **"And Merry Christmas!"**

* * *

 **Boom, a merry Christmas from Steven Universe. A day late.  
**

 **Sh!t.**

 **Now then, I'm sorry for not adding the snowball fight, but I'll probably put that in a chapter later where I put in little extra things or something like that.**

 **Sorry if things felt rushed towards the end, but I was rushing to finish this. I also rushed through the proof reading, so I apologize for any spelling errors.**

 **Now then, next chapter we get back to chronological order!**

 **Please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	60. Chapter 59: Riot (Part 1)

**Thanks go to Kagehime-sama53, Guest, Morvank, Guest, Demo-nisshu jinketsu Duke, KillJoyGem, StoryWriter2003, The Weeping Prophet, 101, and S U fan.**

 **ans S U fan, when the Cluster first appeared in chapter 56 (I think) I gave him a physical description.**

 **Now then,**

 **Here's next chapter. It's probably gonna be, nay, it WILL be more serious by a long shot than last chapter.**

 **So get ready for some peeking into future plot...**

 **Fun Fact: After finding a Sans parody of _Stronger Than You (Yes the Garnet one)_ and listening to it a hundred times over while comparing it to Hematite Vs. Bloodstone, I got bored and made a Hematite Vs. Bloodstone version of _Stronger Than You_. I obviously never plan on putting it in the story, because it was just something that I threw together out of boredom in the middle of class. That being said, I'm strangely, emphasis on strangely, proud of it. **

**Don't you f#cking judge me.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

 ** _"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"  
_**

Golden eyes snapped open.

 _Bloodstone!_

 **Chapter 59: Riot (Part 1)  
**

 **Alive(?)**

 _"Heh... And here I almost wanted to keep Zeolite's promise."  
_

* * *

Yellow Diamond sat there, staring at that black bubble holding that golden shard for a long time. It had appeared awhile ago, just before Bloodstone began his fight at the Gem Utopia.

The first one, not the last one.

Yellow Diamond recognized the bubble as one of Bloodstone's and told her guards not to touch it. Not even she dared touch it.

It had been just sitting here for weeks now, and no one had told her a thing about it. It made her uneasy.

She rested her chin in her palm as she stared at it, before her eyes suddenly widened lightly, the bubble beginning to glow.

Yellow Diamond's eyes narrowed as that damn black orb glowed with a false gold. Her guards jumped between her and that orb faster than that bubble could pop.

It fell to the floor, white arms of glowing energy catching it as it's form shifted uneasily around that shard.

"It looks like some kind of Cluster trying to form..." One of the guards muttered.

"Who knows what that sick bastard kept as a pet for his spare time?" Another muttered.

"Stay back, all of you..." The guards glanced back at Yellow with shock, but none did anything but step aside, bowing as they formed two parallel lines to the forming Gem.

Yellow Diamond stood over it as its fingers could be seen forming slowly, this reformation clearly difficult for it.

After a few minutes, it had finally managed to take what form it could. It seemed feminine, skin a false gold as long straight hair ran down her back. She looked pale, fear in her golden eyes. She appeared to be short, only a little taller than Ruby, wearing a tattered Victorian dress. Though it was less ornate and complicated, easier to move around in.

She looked around at herself, fear in her eyes. "I... I shouldn't be..."

 ** _AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_ **

"Oh... Oh no... Bloodstone..." Her hands clenched down on her stomach. She felt sick.

"Pyrite."

The voice was immediately recognized, even after who knows how many years.

"Y-yellow Diamond..." She stammered, glancing up slowly at the Diamond before her.

"So... That's where you were. And here I would have thought Bloodstone would have made sure to be rid of you in your entirety... Pathetic." Yellow Diamond muttered the pathetic under her breath, making sure Pyrite didn't hear.

What would Bloodstone do if he heard her say such things?

"I-I..." Pyrite didn't know what to say, shaking.

"So, did you finally get sick of being trapped? How long has it been..?" Yellow Diamond tapped one finger to her chin.

"N-no I... Oh... Oh god..." The images flashed before her eyes. Zeolite... Hematite... Bloodstone...

She could feel her heart slowing with the guilt. "Zeolite... I shouldn't have made you promise..." She muttered.

"Pyrite." Yellow Diamond said sternly, making her jump.

"How are you here?" She asked slowly, staring seriously at the shard Gem.

"W-well... You see... Bloodstone..." She was pale for a ghost, biting on one finger, worry, fear, and guilt in her eyes.

"Pyrite, you look a mess." Yellow Diamond said. "Please, tell me what troubles you." Her tone almost had a hint of care in it. Pyrite could guess that was the best she would get. She had seen Yellow change...

"Bloodstone... H-he's... The Crystal Gem's...H... Hematite..." She couldn't seem to choke out all the words. When you live and die for people, and you see... Well, this, has happened to them...

"Is... Is Bloodstone... Is he..?" Not even Yellow Diamond could find the words. Putting the words 'Bloodstone is dead' together seemed nearly impossible.

Pyrite nodded slowly, and Yellow Diamond's eyes widened.

Tears built in Pyrite's eyes, and Yellow Diamond stood dumb struck.

"I... I can't believe it..." Even the guards were trembling with shock. And the fear of this re-rising power...

"... Who..?" Yellow Diamond asked, and Pyrite just shook her head, making Yellow Diamond's eyes widen with an unusual anger.

"Tell who killed the damn Reaper!" Yellow suddenly grabbed Pyrite, pulling her from the ground and staring into her eyes with unease.

"H... Hematite... It was Hematite." Pyrite stammered, looking down.

Yellow Diamond dropped her, running a hand through her hair. Sweat ran down her face. While she wanted to dance on Bloodstone's grave, the realization that someone, no, that _Hematite_ was out there with the ability to kill someone like Bloodstone...

Rose's Rebellion had risen once more.

And with less than twenty soldiers, they were already stronger than before.

"I... I'm sorry, Yellow Diamond. I have to get to them, I have to apologize..." Pyrite moved quickly towards, the door, and Yellow Diamond looked up immediately, a golden glow coming from her hand as she reached to Pyrite, golden spikes of diamond shooting from her hand and out around Pyrite, blocking her way out.

"Not so fast!" Yellow Diamond said in a panicked voice. "You're going to stay and answer my questions... And then, well..." Yellow smirked. "You'll be paying for what Bloodstone has done to get on my nerves."

"No, Yellow plea-" Pyrite was cut off, Yellow snapping at her.

"You will refer to me as Yellow Diamond! Guards, take her to the Hall of Traitos, and put her as deep in there as you can..."

"Even past Ci-"

"Yes!"

Yellow turned her back on Pyrite as the guards grabbed her, pulling her away from the halls as she struggled.

Yellow Diamond sat back in her throne like chair, running a hand through her hair as sweat dripped from her face.

"What did you see, Sister? Why did you abandon us here..?"

* * *

Pyrite was escorted through halls full of large glass cells, holding dark rooms. The outlines of Gems could be seen, some asleep, some pacing, some watching them as they came by.

They came to a large elevator, and the guards shoved her into it.

Pyrite wasn't sure how many floors they went down, but they were in that Elevator for at least five minutes.

Pyrite was pulled from the elevator to a long hallway, leading directly to the largest cell she'd ever seen.

She was pulled along, looking into the glass to see the orange gem chained to the floor of the room. He had some sort of device around his neck, and he looked as though he hadn't so much as moved in who knows how long.

With the creak of the elevator, which clearly hadn't came there in ages, all of the guards staring at this Gem looked to them in unison. For but a split second, their eyes were not on that Gem.

As Pyrite was walked by this giant cell, she glanced at that Gem once more.

It's left eye snapped open, and it blinked a few times, the guards jumping as it did so.

"Hm..." It's raspy voice echoed across the entire prison, though it shouldn't have been audible at all.

Pyrite's eyes widened, staring with minor fear and minor worry at this gem.

That was, until he lifted his hand, chain broken, and waved at her with a smile.

Pyrite was pulled away from the cell quickly, guards rushing into it.

Pyrite was sat down, the door to her cell being slammed closed.

"Don't try anything, you got that?!" The guard told her, before running off towards the other Cells.

"But- Wait!" She called after the guards, but they didn't listen.

Pyrite say against the wall, eyes wide.

"Well then..."

* * *

"Aw come on guys, I don't wanna get chained up again." The orange Gem rolled his eyes, watching as guards filtered through the large door.

His clothes were in tatters, looking as if he'd been in a large fight recently, though he'd been here for ages. Maybe he'd just been in a fight before getting locked up.

"Don't do anything you'll regret, Citrine!" The lead guard told him, and the orange Gem found himself chuckling.

"Now, you see, I'm not really one for regretting. Kind of a waste of time when you get right down to it." He stood, yanking on his still chained arm, pulling the entire chunk of concrete it was hooked to out with it.

"I am, however, one for doing things I wish I'd done sooner." He grinned, standing slightly hunched with one hand in his pocket.

"Which is how we got here." He suddenly threw his arm forward, sending the gigantic square of concrete exploding into the guards, smashing them and their Gems, sending some flying through the air. The chain had broken as he threw it.

"Heheh... Too easy." Citrine reached up, grabbing hold of the Starbolt on his neck.

"Alright Blue Diamond, I've gotta hand it to ya. Sure it only took a couple thousand years, but hey, I'm out." He tore the Starbolt from his neck.

"As for this thing..." He watched as a guard slowly crawled back away from him.

"Meh, ain't really my style." He dropped it on the ground, stomping it to scraps of metal.

"And as for you..." he grinned, his suit of metal armor appearing around him, making him stand another foot taller.

"I think a nice blood crimson would look really good on you..."

* * *

Pyrite sat in her cell anxiously, her hands on her knees.

She heard a knock on the glass and looked up to see an orange hand there.

"H-huh?" She stood slowly, stepping quietly to the door.

"Heya." Citrine said, leaning against the stone wall next to her cell.

"What'er ya in for?" He chuckled, before his hand shot through the glass door, Pyrite jumping back in surprise as he tore the entire thing from the wall.

"Just kidding, I know why you're in there." He tossed the glass aside, beginning to walk down the hallway.

"U-uh..." Pyrite just stood there, baffled.

"Well?" Citrine looked over his shoulder at her. "Come on, we've got an army to deliver."

Pyrite nodded once, jogging to catch up with him.

"Shouldn't we be... Picking up the pace a little?" Pyrite said, glancing over at Citrine, who shrugged.

"Haven't so much as moved a muscle in a couple thousand years, if I run I'm pretty sure I die." Citrine placed his hands in his pockets as he moved along, stepping over Gem shards as they passed his cage once again.

"But didn't you just kill all of these Gems..?" Pyrite questioned, and Citrine shrugged again.

"So I'm lazy. What's your point?" Citrine glanced over at her.

She sighed, stopping with him in front of the Elevator.

"So what are we waiting for?" Pyrite questioned.

"This thing only comes down here if someone up there wants to come down here." Citrine said, watching as the elevator shaft seemed to shift slightly, creaking as the Elevator came down towards them.

"Three... Two..." Citrine stood in front of Pyrite, his armor appearing in an instant as the Elevator stopped, a grin cracking across his face as the mask of the knight helmet fell over it.

"One."

Pyrite shut her eyes tight, looking to the side as she heard the screaming of all of the soldiers in the elevator.

"Boy is Karma refreshing..." Citrine stood to his full height, stretching. He looked back to the halls as Pyrite walked into the elevator, his armor disappearing.

"Well, when it happens to someone else, I suppose... Heh." Citrine said, orange hair covering his eyes as the Elevator door closed.

Pyrite stood there next to Citrine in the awkward silence of the elevator, poking her fingers together.

"So uh... How did you end up here?" Pyrite glanced over at him, and a small smile came to his face.

"Well there was this huge dome, right?" Citrine began.

"And they took all of us 'traitors' and stuffed us-" The elevator was suddenly alight with red lights, and Citrine groaned, the sensation that they were falling shooting through them.

"I don't like being interrupted..." Citrine's armor appeared once again, and he scooped up Pyrite, who was startled to say the least.

Citrine jumped, smashing through the top of the elevator's thick metal, standing atop the elevator before bending his knees, shooting upward through the Elevator shaft.

Pyrite almost screamed in surprise, Citrine laughing.

* * *

"There's no way that bastard is getting up here now..." A guard said, standing before what seemed to be the gravity controller for the elevator, which was smashed in it's place in the wall.

Suddenly, the elevator door dented, and his eyes widened.

"There's no way..." A rusty orange Gem said as he stepped back. He wore armor that was similar to that of Halite and Cuprite. The armor was golden instead of black, however.

The right side of his face was a darker, more rusty shade of orange than the left side of his face, the light orange taking all of his chin so the rusty side was more just his nose, eye, and right ear.

The rest was covered with his heavy golden armor.

The doors exploded outward, the army of guards being hit with them, some being crushed and killed.

"Heheh... That was fun, huh?" Citrine sat down Pyrite, who's hair was now a mess from the wind in the jump, her eyes wide in surprise and shock.

"U-uh... Yeah... Fun..." She shook her head, her hair going back to normal as if they were in some sort of cartoon.

Oh... Wait...

"Attack!" The Rusty Gem called, pointing towards them.

"Come on now Gibbsite, why do you have to be like that?" Citrine questioned, watching as the wave of soldiers flew towards him.

He caught a guard by the face, crushing his skull and kicking his gem to pieces as it fell.

Pyrite stood behind him, watching as he beat back guard after guard.

"..." She looked down, before looking back up, a look of determination on her face.

A golden glow came, a staff slowly materializing in front of her.

"Hm?" Citrine looked over his shoulder at her as she grabbed the staff, jumping over him and spinning in air, cracking it down on a Gem's head, splitting their skull.

She stood in front of Citrine, holding her staff ready at the surrounding guards.

"All of you need to get out of my way." She told them, her tone much more forceful than usual.

Citrine watched with surprise.

"I've got better things to do than deal with a bunch of weaklings like you." She stared at them with icy eyes, and for a moment, just a moment, Citrine compared her way of speaking to someone he hadn't spoken to in a long time.

"You really are that Pyrite, then..." Citrine stepped in front of Pyrite, Pyrite looking up at him in surprise.

"You've gotten shorter since the Bloodstone times, huh?" Pyrite flinched at the mention of Bloodstone, curious about how Citrine could know about that.

"Whatever the case, I can handle these clowns. You go on ahead, I'll catch up." Citrine crossed his arms.

"But how am I gonna-" Pyrite was cut off, Citrine suddenly aiming one hand out to the army before him, firing a wave of orange energy, blasting a line right through it and down the hallway.

"... Okay bye." Pyrite said almost as quickly as she shot down the path made for her.

"Hey!" A soldier reached out to her, before Citrine appeared before him, grabbing him by the hand.

"Now now," Citrine pulled back his head, head butting this Gem in their forehead Gem, smashing them to shards.

"All of your fights are with me." Citrine jumped back, landing between the army and Pyrite as she ran.

"Just get to the Warden's chamber, if you keep going down that hallway you should be able to find it." Citrine glanced over his shoulder at Pyrite.

Pyrite stopped, looking back at him to listen.

"It's the big golden door. Look's real pretentious." Citrine looked back to the guards.

Pyrite nodded, looking back to the hallway before her. "Thank you, Citrine..."

"So you do know who I am!" Citrine grinned under his mask.

"Good." His grin faded. "Then you know not to waste time worrying about me."

Pyrite nodded, continuing her run.

Citrine sighed, hearing her footsteps getting further and further away.

"Sweet girl. Kinda easy to see through sometimes though." Citrine said, looking to the soldiers. "Get it? 'Cause she's like a ghost?"

"You know, my biggest problem with Homeworld back in the old days was the lack of humor." Citrine sighed.

"Oh well..." A frown formed on his face. "That joke was more for me than any of you."

* * *

Pyrite could hear explosions running through the area down the hallway, sprinting down it and shaking her head.

 _Why does he want to go to the Warden's office? Shouldn't we be trying to get to the exit?_ She wondered as she ran, jumping suddenly as a guard was set exploding towards her, jumping over the guard as they smashed into the giant golden door before her.

"Now what is all that racket..." The doors opened slowly, and Pyrite slid to a stop, gulping.

"Ah, Pyrite, I've been expecting you..." A feminine voice said, boots padding against the tile floor.

This gem wore sleeves disconnected from her shirt, the sleeves running down over her hands. She had an almost transparent white skin, white hair running down to her lower back.

"I must say I was quite surprised to hear of your survival... I figured that freak Bloodstone must've really done some screwed up things to you..."

Pyrite's staff shook as she glared at the Warden.

"Let me through, Gypsum." She ordered, aiming the staff at the Warden.

"Ooh, so demanding. That creep must've really rubbed off on you, huh, Pyrite?" Gypsum twirled the rapier in her right hand.

"So tell me, what happened to Bloodstone? I can't imagine he'd let you go to a place like this... He'd probably keep you in his own dungeon instead... Is that what he did? Oh I have so many que-"

"SHUT UP!" Pyrite shot off the ground at Gypsum, pulling back her staff and swinging at Gypsum, who stepped back, avoiding it easily.

"Ah, I can tell it's a touchy subject." Gypsum slashed out at Pyrite as Pyrite swung by, cutting a slash across her cheek.

Pyrite jumped back, twirling her staff before slamming it down on the ground next to her, looking angrily at Gypsum.

"Don't you ever talk about him like that..." Her staff shook.

* * *

"Well that's all folks..." Citrine knocked dust from his hands.

"You... You aren't going anywhere..." Gibbsite stood at the entrance of the hallway Pyrite went down, holding up dual scimitars.

"Gibbsite, you know those aren't getting through this armor..." Citrine knocked on the armor.

"So why don't you just set those down and-" Gibbsite roared as he shot forward, slashing across Citrine's chest plate, not leaving a mark.

Citrine sighed. "Space God damn it Gibbsite... Why are you homeworlders always so stubborn?"

He smacked Gibbsite aside, leaving a metal glove shaped dent on his face.

As Citrine walked forward, Gibbsite shot at him from the side, slashing in vain at his armor once more.

"Come on Gibbsite, don't make me kick your ass." Citrine stood there, Gibbsite's blades clanging against his armor.

He kicked outward, slamming his foot into Gibbsite's chest, sending him exploding into a wall.

"Now stay." Citrine said, stepping forward once more.

He suddenly spun around, catching a scimitar and glaring up at Gibbsite, who had been attempting to stab him in the back of the head.

"Alright, fine..." He threw Gibbsite into the wall by the scimitar.

"You wanna play that way, that's fine." Citrine cracked his neck.

 **"But you should know by now that I don't play fair."  
**

* * *

 **I know, I know. Short chapter. But I was getting tired and over worked typing 5,000 words everyday. Which brings me to my next topic. I probably won't be updating daily anymore, as now that I've finished the Bloodstone ark and the Christmas special, I don't have much of a reason to put in that much effort.  
**

 **Well, that sounded lazy.**

 **That doesn't mean we're going back to weekly updates, however. Not until January 4th, anyway. But hey, that's when Steven Universe comes back with a Steven Bomb, so that'll probably be able to fill the hole I leave.**

 **Well, that sounded pretentious.  
**

 **And don't worry, after this, I _will_ do an aftermath chapter. Promise.  
**

 **That being said, I could very well update tomorrow, if I'm actually that hyped to type. But it's more likely I'll be updating the day after tomorrow or something.**

 **But keep an eye out anyway.  
**

 **Now then, I also need to give a big thanks to Sir Viper, who has given me the character Pyrite (I know I should've credited them earlier, hush) and helped me quite a lot, and I mean A LOT, with this upcoming ark.**

 **Seriously, they submitted Pyrite around the beginning of the Bloodstone saga, and I've been talking to them since. That is a LONG conversation.**

 **Please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	61. Chapter 60: Riot (Part 2)

**Thanks go to Kagehime-sama53, StoryWriter2003, Guest, guest, Guest, Sir viper, and xaudreymoonx.**

 **Well, this chapter will also be short compared to some of my other chapters, but longer than last chapter.**

 **Fun Fact: I kinda wish I could draw so I could draw these characters. Or that I knew someone with a Deviant Art or something willing to draw them and what not, because I would love to see that.**

 **So, I mean, if anyone wants to... I won't object.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"Come now Pyrite, I would think that you would be stronger than this." Gypsum knocked back swing after swing, holding a hand behind her back.

"Or did you just let the Reaper fight for you?" Pyrite growled as Gypsum side stepped an attempted whack.

"Ooh, were you trying to manipulate him? Is that why he-" Gypsum was smacked across the face with a staff, being sent flying across the room and slamming into her desk in her office.

"It's not like that..." Pyrite's hands clenched into fists as she walked towards Gypsum.

"Heh..." Gypsum stood slowly, dusting herself off as she wiped blood from her lip.

"It's really easy to get to you, huh? Must be a really troubling topic." She grinned.

"I can't wait to interrogate you about it."

 **Chapter 60: Riot (Part 2)**

 **Freedom  
**

 _"So there was huge Dome, right?"_

* * *

Citrine loomed over Gibbsite, smashing him further and further into the tile floor, pulling his fist back to do it once more.

Pyrite was sent sliding down the hallway, flying past Citrine and smashing into the wall behind him.

She looked up, seeing Citrine pulling back his fist over Gibbsite.

Her eyes widened, her vision flashing from that to Hematite pulling back his fist one last time over Bloodstone.

"STOP!" She yelled out, tears rising to her eyes.

Citrine glanced over at her, clearly surprised. "Uh... You okay there, Pyrite?"

Pyrite panted, her vision returning to normal.

"O-oh... I u-uh... S-sorry..." Pyrite scratched the back of her head, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I-I thought... I um... It's not important." Pyrite shook her head.

 _So she can see it as well..._ Citrine thought, frowning under his mask before looking back down at Gibbsite, who still refused to let go of his blades.

"..." Citrine picked him up by the head, seeing he was unconscious.

"Alright, kid, you've earned my respect." Citrine tossed him aside, watching as he poofed to his Gem. "And since Pyrite's having a moment, I guess I won't kill you."

Citrine suddenly held up his armored arm, eyes widening as a rapier stabbed through his it, piercing his forearm and armor.

"... Ouch." Citrine said, left eye twitching under his mask before he twisted his stabbed arm, snapping the rapier's blade in two, pulling a piece from his arm.

Gypsum jumped back, tossing her broken blade away, a new one forming.

"Well, you don't see things that can get through my armor too often, so I guess I'll give you credit." Citrine threw the piece from his arm backwards, Pyrite's eyes widening as she moved her head to the side, it sticking into the wall where her head was a moment ago.

"Hey, Pyrite, I might need a hand here." Citrine glanced over his shoulder at her, dodging around rapier stab after rapier stab with ease. "So no more laying around."

Pyrite looked only mildly irritated at that last statement, but that was all it took to amuse Citrine, who reached forward, catching Gypsum's rapier.

"Knock that off." He told Gypsum, who jumped back, letting go of the rapier.

"Well, you're going to be more of a problem then I'd accounted for..." She muttered.

"Lucky you, I'm still a little rusty." Citrine threw her blade aside. Blood oozed from the small hole in his arm, which he looked through at Gypsum.

"Heh... Hey Gyps, I can see you through this tiny hole..." He waved, grinning.

"..." Gypsum sighed. "You are an idiot..."

"Aw..." Gypsum's eyes widened, Citrine suddenly leaning back to back with her. "You know your words hurt sometimes..."

Gypsum spun around, only to catch a fist directly to the face, being thrown back across the room.

"Pass her back Pyrite!" Citrine called, Pyrite jumping at Gypsum as she flew through the air, pulling back her staff and slamming it into Gypsum, sending her exploding back into Citrine, who pulled back his fist, standing with his feet dug into the ground.

Gypsum's eyes snapped open as she flew, and she pulled back a rapier, stabbing at Citrine as she reached him.

Citrine grinned, feeling the rapier pierce his side as he slammed his fist into Gypsum's face, sending her exploding back through a wall as she let go of her rapier.

"Heheh..." Citrine chuckled, pulling the rapier out while gritting his teeth with a grin.

"Man, that hurt like a bitch..." He kept chuckling, blood running down his armor as he threw Gypsum's rapier on the ground, smashing it.

"That's good... I'd almost forgot what physical pain felt like... Heheh..." Citrine grinned at Gypsum, who glared at him as she panted, forcing herself to her feet.

"Nothing's really touched me since your torture stopped... Heheheh..." Citrine shook his head, reaching up and pulling off his helmet.

"Tell me, Warden," He looked to Gypsum, hair covering his right eye like it usually does.

"Was it as good for you as it was for me?"

Gypsum shivered, another rapier appearing in her hand. "You really are some kind of freak, you know that?"

"Guess that puts us in the same boat, eh?" Citrine smirked, Gypsum growling as she shot off at him.

She swung rapidly at him, Citrine stepping back as he dodged each and every attack.

"You can't dodge forever!"

"You know I find that whoever says that has usually vastly underestimated my ability to move slightly to the left and right with the occasional duck or jump." Citrine said, continuing to dodge with ease.

"Really isn't that complex." Citrine shrugged, and Gypsum growled.

"Don't mock me!" She shot forward, stabbing at Citrine, who jumped to the side, grabbing her by her extended arm and pulling it behind her back, slamming her down to her knees in an instant.

"Not so easy when I'm not chained to the floor, eh?" Citrine grinned, Gypsum glaring at him from the corner of her eye.

He put his hand on the back of her head, slamming her face first into the tile, which shattered under the force.

He let go of her, standing and kicking her in the side, throwing her across the room and exploding into a wall.

Gypsum groaned, sitting up, blood running from her busted lip.

"Heheheh..." Citrine walked slowly towards her, shadows covering his eyes, a grin plain on his face.

"You... You shouldn't be doing this! You were broken! We broke you! We showed you who you really are and we locked you up in this place for thousands of years to think about it! We tortured you!" She held her arm, which Citrine seemed to have broken when he kicked her.

"How?!" She demanded to know. "How can you find the will?!"

"You really are making a presumption in saying you 'broke' me." Citrine said, his armor disappearing as he looked at his nails, uninterested.

"You see, all of what your saying hinges on me having given two sh!ts about what went down in the ol' Dome o' Doom." He grinned, placing his hands in his pockets as he hunched slightly.

"I mean sure, I probably would have been pretty broken up about it if I had my conscious telling me that I was a monster for what I did..."

"How could you do that Citrine?"

"They were your friends Citrine!"

"Citrine, they trusted you Citrine!"

Citrine waved his hands while speaking in a mocking tone. "Man, that woulda been really annoying." He chuckled.

"But if I had any conscious..." Citrine's eyes were covered by the shadow of his hair once more.

"Do you think I would have killed them in the first place?"

"Heh... Idiot... Heheh..." Citrine pressed his foot down on Gypsum's broken arm, grinning all the way as she yelled out in pain.

"Truth is, I have more will to survive then I have to die with others..." Citrine kicked Gypsum in the side of the face, throwing her across the room.

"Guess being smart makes me some kinda freak, eh?" Citrine shrugged. "Oh well. Besides, their time was up, and I had more things to do..." Citrine's grin faded to a frown for but a moment.

"People come, people go, that's the way of the world, Gyps..." Citrine laughed sadly, his grin struggling on his face as his hair covered his eyes.

"Uh, Citrine..." Pyrite looked back to Citrine from the hallway she stared down. She hadn't exactly wanted to watch Citrine finish this fight...

"Yes?" Citrine looked over at her, titling his head back as he did so.

"I kind of hear a lot of footsteps coming this way..." Pyrite said, and Citrine's eyes narrowed.

"Son of a..." His armor suddenly formed, and he shot forward, grabbing Pyrite and rocketing down the hallway with her over his shoulder, yelling out in shock.

He exploded into Gypsum's office, setting down a shocked Pyrite, who stumbled, falling down onto her bottom.

"Where is it where is it where is it where is it?!" Citrine frantically searched, tearing up papers and throwing things around.

"AHA!" He exclaimed, making Pyrite jump.

"What is it?" Pyrite said from her place watching the door, seeing guards shadows begin to fill the room where Gypsum lay.

Citrine slammed his fist into a button on the wall, something he probably should have noticed earlier.

A loud slam was heard, and on the wall of monitors above them, cell doors could be seen flinging open.

"Get those doors shut." Citrine said seriously, looking over his shoulder at Pyrite, who nodded, pushing the golden doors shut as best she could, watching the guards rush down towards her.

"Come on Pyrite you can do it..!" She told herself, the heavy doors almost refusing to budge.

The doors suddenly seemed weightless, almost moving on their own into place.

"I-I did it!" Pyrite smirked confidently, holding up one fist in triumph.

"Uh... Actually, I found a button that closes the door." Citrine looked over his shoulder at her, and her shoulders lowered, a frown appearing on her face.

"But you get an A for effort!" Citrine gave her a thumbs up, and she almost glared at him, before he looked back to the screens, watching as Crystal Gems stepped slowly from their cages.

They looked around, as if questioning if this was really happening.

Citrine stepped onto a pad, and suddenly, a giant hologram of himself appearing before them, floating in the center of the cage area, which was a layer of floors that all had a walkway, which lead to stair cases that lead to the next floors.

"Gems..." Citrine began, all of them looking to him in surprise.

His armor appeared, the helmet missing as he spoke. "For ages, they have kept us here."

"For all too long, they have trapped us on this world, keeping us from our home and trying to break us. Without a leader, they thought we would pose no threat!" Citrine said, his hands clenching into fists.

"Rose Quartz may not be here to lead us, but until she can... I will hold her position. Now, I know what you're thinking. What can we do? How can we get out of here? There are millions of them, this planet out numbers us a million to one. And even if we get to Earth, they'll just come after us." Citrine smirked, his orange iris glowing lightly, his right eye concealed under his hair.

"Well, they wouldn't dare come to Earth yet... Heheh..." Citrine grinned. "Just a few hours ago, a newly rising Crystal Force on Earth defeated Bloodstone and his armies!"

A resounding gasp shook the prison.

Pyrite flinched from behind Citrine, her hands clenching down tighter on the door that she held closed. Granted, she wasn't actually contributing much, it was mostly the doors themselves, the locks, and all of the things in the room she'd put up against the doors.

"And Blue Diamond is working with the Crystal Gems!" Citrine smirked as he spoke.

"There are few of them, but they are very powerful. All that said, they need an army. That's where we come in." Citrine crossed his arms.

"So, tell me," He grinned, his hair covering his eyes.

"Who's ready to start a Riot?"

 _Riot_ by _Three Days Grace_ began playing in the background.

The Gems on the screens could be seen attacking guards, quickly rushing in an unexpectedly orderly fashion towards the Warden's room, colliding with the guards there within a few moments.

"Well, that was easy." Citrine said as he stepped off of the holo-pad, his armor disappearing.

"Now, I wonder what's going on out there." Citrine grinned, standing before the golden doors, hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Pyrite, lemme borrow your stick." Citrine looked over at her, extended his hand to her.

"You mean my staff?" Pyrite arched a brow at him.

"Staff, stick, thingamajigy, same dealio Sealio." Citrine made a grabby motion with his hand.

Pyrite sighed, her staff appearing. She placed it in Citrine's hand, Citrine's armor reappearing.

"Why do you keep taking that off if you're just going to put it back on?" She questioned, and he shrugged.

"I just like the warping noise it makes." He grinned, kicking the door open suddenly, pulling her staff back and smashing it across the back of the head of the guard standing there, smashing their skull and sending them exploding across the room, breaking through the wall.

"Heh..." He handed the broken staff back to Pyrite, who looked disgruntled to say the least.

 _His personality is one that gets tiring after awhile..._ She thought, watching as he jumped into the horde, the prison looking more and more like a war scene.

Gems smashed guards, anger in their eyes as they did so.

The guards couldn't keep up, the Crystal Gems coming at them from one side as Citrine came at them from the other.

Pyrite just stood there, watching with wide eyes.

"This... This is..." She stammered as she watched.

* * *

"D-damn it... I have to alert Yellow Diamond..." Gypsum backed away from the scene, turning and running back down the hallway.

 _This is insane... How could one gem being released do this much damage?! How did he think this through?! How did he know how to release all the Prisoners?! How did he know of Bloodstone's defeat?! How did he know of the Crystal Forces on Earth?!_

Her mind moved a mile a minute, shooting through memories of her interrogations. Of her torturing. He never had any information... He never even showed any signs of pain.

Her eyes widened as she hit one particular day.

* * *

Gypsum growled, stepping from the cage, a beaten Citrine still chained motionless on the floor.

"I'll crack him eventually..." She muttered to herself as she moved towards the elevator.

"Please, allow me to have a talk with him."

Gypsum's eyes widened at the voice, realizing she'd just walked by Blue Diamond, who was leaning against the wall as she did so.

"B-Blue Diamond!" She quickly fell to one knee, and Blue Diamond laughed, waving a hand dismissively.

"It's fine, truly. I will forgive you letting my appearance go unnoticed if you allow me to speak with Citrine." Blue Diamond said, crossing her arms over chest as she spoke.

"Y-yes of course!" Gypsum nodded quickly, sweat running down the back of her head.

"Good. Get your guards out of there. I highly dislike eavesdroppers..." Blue Diamond began to walk towards Citrine's cell.

"But Blue Diam-" Blue Diamond looked over her shoulder at Gypsum with a serious expression, making Gypsum stop mid-sentence.

"Y-yes, of course..." Gypsum nodded slowly, laughing nervously.

"Good." Blue Diamond smirked, stepping towards the cell as Gypsum called back the guards frantically, all of them gladly leaving the area.

Gypsum watched as Blue Diamond entered the Cell, sitting down before Citrine.

"So," She began.

"How have you been?" Gypsum heard as she quickly left.

* * *

 _That traitorous bitch..! She was plotting our downfall even then! She must have told Citrine something... Which would mean...  
_

Gypsum's eyes widened. "She knew all of this was going to happen long before she left!"

Gypsum picked up the pace, seeing the exit getting closer and closer.

"I must get this information to Yellow Diamond! She has to know-"

The wall to her left suddenly exploded apart, Citrine sliding out in front of her, his armor covering him.

"Well, looks like you stumbled across something you really shouldn't have." Citrine crossed his arms, shrugging.

"And we can't really have that information getting out, you know." Citrine chuckled, extending one open palm to her.

"So I guess I'll just have to finish this up."

As an orange glow came to his palm, an orange figure spun down from above, slicing down onto Citrine's wrist, pushing his hand down as he was unable to break through the armor, the blast throwing both of them to opposite sides of the room as it exploded into the ground before them.

"Ugh..." Gibbsite groaned, falling from his small crater in the wall, Gypsum staring back at him in surprise.

"What are you doing?" Gibbsite looked up at her, wincing as he forced himself up. "Run!"

Gypsum looked between Gibbsite and the standing Citrine, before gulping, continuing her run.

"Oh no you don-" As Citrine shot off at her, an orange figure slammed into him, smashing him into the wall.

"If you want to get to the Warden, you'll have to go through me." Gibbsite stood in the doorway as Gypsum escaped, holding his scimitars out to the sides.

"Aw come on kid, don't make me do this." Citrine said, watching as Gibbsite panted, clearly exhausted from the amount of effort he put into those last attacks.

"What, afraid I'll beat you?" Gibbsite smirked.

"You and I both know that's not why."

"Yeah... That was more for me than you." Gibbsite glanced to the side, before looking back to Citrine.

"Now come o-" As he shot off the ground at Citrine, Pyrite spun down, slamming her staff into the back of his head and knocking him out cold.

"Aw... Come on..." Gibbsite muttered from his place on the ground, eyes closing slowly.

"Nice one." Citrine gave her a thumbs up, which she returned.

"Now just throw the kid in a cell or something. Let Yellow find him later." Pyrite nodded at Citrine's words, grabbing hold of the unconscious Gibbsite, dragging him away.

Citrine stood there at the doorway for a moment, as if waiting for Pyrite to go away. The music faded out as he took a deep breath.

"You can come out now." He said as Pyrite disappeared.

"Hm... Was I really that obvious?" A figure cloaked in white floated down, arms hidden in her cloak.

While one could see her chin and mouth, the shadow of the cloak covered everything else, only her feet and ankles visible from under it.

"When you spend five thousand years sitting in place with your eyes closed you get pretty good at feeling people out." Citrine said, crossing his arms as she stood behind him.

"Fair enough." She shrugged.

"So, did you come here to stop me?" Citrine glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, his helmet disappearing.

"No, no. Just to watch." She said. "I would make you an offer, but knowing you... You'd refuse without so much as a first thought, let alone a second."

"You know me well, Whitey." Citrine smirked lightly, still not turning to look at her.

"Tell me, Citrine, have you ever heard the term the enemy of my enemy is my friend?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Where are you going with this?"Citrine's eyes narrowed.

"For now, you Crystal Gems are not my biggest concern. And while I might be setting up an even bigger enemy, I'll let you all go. As long as you know which Diamond to go after first." Citrine could tell she was crossing her arms under her cloak.

"... So the ship's outside then?" Citrine said, and she nodded.

"Yes."

"..." Citrine sighed. "I hate making promises... Never was too good at keepin' 'em. But what choice do I have?" He shrugged.

"You got yourself a deal, but I've got one question." Citrine looked over his shoulder at her.

"Why the cloak?" Citrine arched a brow at her.

"Well, this might come as a shock to you, but Yellow isn't too happy with me as of recently." She shrugged. "Rather not make an appearance before a crowd that doesn't like me."

"Heh... If you really believed that..." Citrine's eyes were covered by shadows.

"You wouldn't have shown up before me."

And just like that, she was gone, and Citrine looked back to the gateway before him.

"Alright, I'm ba... Citrine..?" Pyrite arched a brow at Citrine, who was panting rapidly, holding his chest, feeling his heart thump violently in it.

"O-oh, hey, you're back." He shook off his sweat, motioning for her to follow.

"C'mon. We're going home."

"But how are we gonna... Whoa..." As they reached the courtyard, a giant white ship sat there, Crystal Gems standing orderly in front of it.

"Heh... What can I say? I know people." Citrine shrugged, his armor gone as he smirked.

 _What are you planning..?_ Citrine's grin faded to a frown.

He walked behind Pyrite so she wouldn't see the serious look on his face.

 _I can apologize... I didn't think it would be this easy... Then again..._

She looked up into the sky, which was a grey. As per usual on this industrial planet.

 _The easy part is over, huh..? Heh... Hematite..._

* * *

"Uh... Hematite?" Steven arched a brow at Hematite, who stared out the window at the sky. "Do you see something?"

Hematite looked to Steven, arching a brow condescendingly as he waved a hand in front of his face.

"Oh, heh. Right." Steven laughed lightly. "Almost forgot about that."

"But, wait... Then how do you know that's a window?"

"Uh... Lucky guess?"

"... Hm..." Steven stroked his imaginary beard, before shrugging. "Alright."

Hematite sighed, looking back to the window as his eyes glowed silver once more.

"I've just got this strange feeling..." He muttered, Steven walking back to the other Gems. They'd decided to do the party another day, each of them exhausted.

He placed his hand on the glass of the window.

 ** _Pyrite..._**

* * *

 **And there you have it. I know, not much of a riot, but I'm seriously bad at writing crowd fights. That's uh... That's probably gonna make this whole war thing difficult, huh?  
**

 **Heh...**

 **Anyway, that'll probably be the last you see of Citrine and Pyrite for awhile, unless I decide to do a few chapters of the filler ark before they arrive based on their adventures.**

 **Anywho, a few more secrets were revealed this chapter. But more secrets are left to be exposed.**

 **So how do you think Hematite will react to seeing Pyrite?**

 **What will happen when the Crystal army reaches earth?**

 **Who was that White Gem?**

 **What secrets are Citrine holding?**

 **What was Pyrite's relationship with Bloodstone, Hematite, and Zeolite?**

 **All will be revealed at some point.**

 **Please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	62. Chapter 61: Home (Part 1)

**Thanks go to Kagehime-sama53, Guest, Demo-nisshu jinketsu Duke, 50 shades of orang gem, StoryWriter2003, Guest, KillJoyGem, and Guest.  
**

 **And here it is, the long waited party.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

Everyone had just found a place in Steven's home to lay, exhausted. Even Hematite leaned against the wall, eyes closed.

So when the sound of a ship coming down rocked the beach, all of them jumped up immediately.

They burst outside as fast as they could, their eyes widening.

"Hey guys!" Connie yelled, on 107's shoulders as tendrils from both ships connected to 107, who held up the ships, each of them encased in green.

"Connie?!" Everyone exclaimed in shock all at once.

"107?!" Emerald and Amazonite said.

107 set the ships down, landing slowly as the tendrils receded.

He fell to his knees, Connie jumping off of him.

"You gonna be alright?" She asked, and 107 nodded, waving a hand dismissively.

"I will be fine. go, put in the good words for me." 107 leaned back, panting heavily with his eyes closed.

Connie nodded, grinning over at the Gems who stood there in shock.

"You know, I _was_ beginning to wonder what went on here while we were gone..." Pearl said, looking over the Beach. They could see sand burnt to glass and rocks smashed in Halite and Cuprite shaped holes.

"Heheh... Don't worry, me and 107 took care of it." Connie crossed her arms, pointing with her thumb over her shoulder at 107, who was being helped up by Emerald.

"So you switched sides without my help? That's a shock." Emerald said, and 107 nodded.

"The Connie is rather persuasive." 107 shrugged. "Besides, it was the only logical option."

"So how exactly did you get here?" Amazonite questioned.

"Yeah, where you on one of the ships or..?" Howlite crossed his arms, arching a brow at him.

"No, I was one of the emerald's in the Control Room. Emerald 'poofed' me, and sent me to that room with the fire. There I broke from my bubble and left the Room into the Hybrid's home, where I was attacked by a Cuprite after being confused with you." 107 said, looking to Emerald.

"So that's why my house is all messed up!" Steven concluded.

"Yes. My apologies. He forced me to fight back, and just like that I was labeled a traitor." 107 sighed. "It was quite the pain."

"So what about the ships?" Matrix questioned.

"Well after the Connie and I brought down the first ship, I learned of Bloodstone's other two ships. I figured the Crystal Gems would need a few... Not so destroyed ships, so..." 107 shrugged.

"I wanted to make sure I didn't get turned down."

"Heh, these people will take any help." Amazonite said.

"That must be how 127 got here, then." 107 said with a straight face.

"H-hey!" Emerald said, and 107 gave a tiny grin.

"And that explains the mangled ship laying over there..." Garnet said, holding one fist under her chin.

"We really missed a lot of stuff, huh?" Amethyst scratched the back of her head.

"Well we've all kind of been fighting for the past fifteen hours." Lapis said.

"Yeah, so let's cut to the chase." Matrix stepped forward to 107. "Welcome aboard."

"Since when are you allowed to let people in?" Howlite questioned.

"Somewhere around the same time I came back from the dead, wolfy." Matrix crossed his arms, and Howlite grumbled.

"So... I've found another job, then?" 107 glanced at them, eyes shifting between them.

"Not a new job." Steven stepped up to him. "A new home." He smiled.

"A... Home?" 107 glanced around. "Hm... While shelter is not really a necessity for Gems, I do understand on this Earth a home is more than just shelter."

"Uh... Yeah. Something like that." Steven said, extending his hand to 107, who slowly took it.

Steven smiled wide at him.

So they went back inside with yet another member, everyone finding a place to rest, Connie going back to her parents.

107 could be found with Emerald and Amazonite, catching up. Hematite could be found up on the roof, and Matrix and Peridot could be found speaking, as if nothing had happened. Though they could feel everyone glance at them occasionally, as if seeing through their act.

But everyone decided not to look too hard.

Garnet and Pearl where inspecting the ships, and Blue Diamond could be found speaking with Greg as he grilled dinner.

Howlite could be found staring out at the water, as if thinking. Lapis watched him from a deck chair, as if wondering what he was thinking.

The Cluster... Well, no one was quite sure what he was doing. Jumping around between people, as if shifting between personalities as he did a multitude of things.

Beach City was calming down, Mayor Dewey being taken to a real hospital. Steven and Amethyst were putting up flyers for a big ol' party on the beach for their victory.

The party was set for tomorrow, because no Gem was ready for it today.

* * *

Metallic clangs rang through out the arena, the sun hanging in the sky.

The arena seemed to be the same one Pearl had been stabbed at by her own Holo-clone while trying to teach Steven sword fighting over a month ago.

She swung rapidly at Hematite, who easily side stepped each attack, moving like the wind.

Hematite dodged to the side from Pearl's downward slash, spinning and slashing at her, making her jump and stumble back.

"You usually don't dodge this much." Pearl analyzed, jumping forward and stabbing at Hematite, who continued to dodge around each stab.

"It was very effective in my last battle." Hematite said blankly, and Pearl once again was forced to remember Hematite appearing on that warp pad, coated in the blood of a friend.

He didn't have a single scratch on him.

She almost wanted to ask him what happened, but she knew he wouldn't tell her.

Blade's clanged together, Pearl's eyes once again covered by a bandanna. She knew Hematite didn't exactly approve, but she still felt sight was necessary at times.

She was beginning to wonder how Hematite did without it... A lot of the time, it seemed like he was seeing things.

And she'd noticed when her blind fold was off that occasionally his eyes would shift from that dead grey to silver.

They had the previous day, when he pointed his sword at her.

Pearl deflected slash after slash, stepping back as she did. Hematite stepped forward as she stepped back, continuing his onslaught.

Pearl had noticed he didn't seem much for conversation, even less so than usual. She ducked under a slash, jolting up and slashing at his throat, Hematite stepping back.

Hematite jumped back, pulling back the one blade he had out and throwing it at her.

"Hah!" Pearl spun around the blade, preparing to strike. "You've just thrown away your wea-"

In an instant, Pearl was being knocked down, Hematite over her with his second blade pulled up, aimed down at her.

"..." Pearl's eyes were wide in shock, Hematite getting up off of her and dusting himself off.

"Rule one, don't proclaim victory, don't even boast, until victory is assured." He sheathed his blades, offering her a hand.

"Uh... Noted." Pearl took his hand, being helped up.

"I think that's enough for one day. We can get back to this tomorrow." Hematite began his walk back to the Warp Pad.

"Steven's party won't start for another few hours. We can train awhile longer." Pearl said, her weapon disappearing back to her Gem.

"No, I think I'm done for the day."

"Hematite, this wouldn't happen to be about-"

"You think everything is about that. It's not. I'm just tired." Hematite stepped onto the Warp Pad.

"Then where are you going?" Pearl arched a brow at him. "Something tells me it isn't back to the beach."

"... You know, this might be on account of that beak nose of yours, but you're a very nosy person." Hematite stared coldly at her over his shoulder before the Warp Pad activated, Hematite disappearing.

"... Well, that stung..." Pearl muttered to herself.

* * *

Hematite grumbled through the Gem Utopia, Bloodstone's scythe strapped across his back. He had kept it with him, though Pearl and everyone else silently disapproved.

"It's none of their damn business what's going on with me... Why should I bother them with my problems? Unnecessary..." Hematite said, hands in his pockets.

"It's not what I did, but what I let happen that's haunting me... Everyone... You killed them all..." He pulled the scythe from his back, sending it spinning across from him and into the boulder across from him.

"I suppose you knew this sense of alone pretty well, huh? Everyone's gone... Heh... But I still get this strange feeling, as if someone's still... No, that's just something I'm trying to convince myself... I know she's dead. I wouldn't wanna face her anyway... I was never good at apologizing..."

Hematite sighed, sitting on a boulder across from the one the scythe was stuck in.

"I suppose it's stupid for me to care at all about you. Then again, it's not too bright to care about anything. It'd be a lot more efficient if I was who I pretend to be. Heh, Zeolite always said I was a terrible liar, but I think I'm pretty good at it. I think there are always just a few people that can see right through someone when they lie."

Hematite shrugged. "I don't know why, but I found it difficult to lie to Zeolite. I know you were never all that good at lying to Pyrite, and I don't recall a single time she successfully lied to anyone." Hematite chuckled.

"Y'know, the more I think about it, the more it seems like we dragged those two down with us... Pyrite and Zeolite didn't deserve to end up like they did, and they both didn't seem like they should have even been fighting for Homeworld." Hematite sat back on his rock.

"But you and me, we've always been like this. In fact, if it wasn't for them, we both probably would have ended up like you did a lot faster than you did." Hematite shrugged. "We just aren't good people. Sure, we weren't always necessarily bad people, but neither of us ever had the traits of a good person. Some people are just born like us. That's just how it is."

"But there's something bothering me... If you became what you became because you felt you were alone, then... I could end up..." Hematite's hair covered his eyes.

"Sorry, I doubt you care about this. But if you can hear me, it's probably something to take your mind off of all the fire, eh?" Hematite laughed to himself.

"What was I talking about? Oh right, the lying thing. I'm beginning to think I'm slipping. Before a couple weeks ago, I was a great liar. I was great at masking my emotions. But lately, well..."

"It seems like that Pearl can see right through me."

* * *

Howlite sat in the trees, watching that house he'd come to know.

The blinds were open, and he could see the two sitting on their couch, Tyler in April's lap as they watched cartoons.

Howlite watched with dead eyes, memories flashing before him.

That kid hugging his leg. Kicking that gang member through the glass door. April threatening him. His story he told the child.

Murdering all of those Gang Members...

"I wonder if they ever think of me..?" Howlite thought to himself, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"Nah, they've probably forgotten by now."

April got the strangest feeling, her thoughts flashing back to someone she'd been trying to forget as she sat there.

She looked over her shoulder, out the window and to the trees.

The trees were empty, a few leaves falling to the ground, as if someone had just moved from one of the trees. Ice was forming on one of the branches.

"Hm..." She looked back to he TV, Tyler looking up at her.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, and April looked slightly surprised before she smiled, shaking her head.

"No, no. I just... Remembered someone." She frowned lightly, looking down the hall to the guest room, mirror missing the glass in it after being shattered so long ago.

 _I never got to apologize..._ _  
_

* * *

Soon enough, people were showing up for another gigantic party. Sour Cream had set up his DJing table in the house, and tables full of food and drinks were being summoned.

"Is this really necessary? I'm still recovering from the last party we had..." Peridot said, watching the party kick off from a distance.

"That was a long time ago..." Matrix said, as if thinking.

"It wasn't that long. It hasn't even been a year." She crossed her arms, looking over at Matrix.

"Really? It feels like it's been a lot longer than that..." Matrix said, slightly surprised.

"Granted, on Earth, a year is a long period of time, but... Well, I suppose it does feel like we've been at this forever... I'm exhausted, to be honest..." Peridot sighed, slouching slightly.

"Heh, but we're finally here. We've only got one more challenge." Matrix grinned.

"Yeah, but this one is an entire planet. And our last challenge almost... Well, you know. We didn't get through it too easily." Peridot looked down.

"Peridot... I'm fine." Matrix said, and Peridot looked surprised.

"W-what?! I wasn't talking about you! What, you think out of all the things to be afraid of I'm just worried about you?" Her face lit up in red.

"Yes."

"Y-you really are pretentious, you know that?" Peridot crossed her arms, looking away.

"Whatever you say." Matrix smirked, crossing his arms.

"..." Peridot rubbed her arm. "You know, when you... Weren't here, I... I really didn't feel like myself. I did a few things I thought only you would probably do..." She laughed lightly as she stared at the ground.

Matrix arched a brow at Peridot, curious about this new attitude she seemed to have. "What do you mean 'things that I would do'?"

"Well, heh... Even though I should have been scared of Bloodstone, I was still dumb enough to do things like fuse with Emerald to fight him."Peridot looked back to Matrix.

"You fused with Emerald? Oh I can only imagine what that things personality could have been..." Matrix said, earning a glare from Peridot.

"Oh ha ha. Well, actually, I took most control of the fusion... I was so angry, I just... It was strange." Peridot looked at her hands. "It was like I didn't care what happened to me, as long as he died."

"... That's kinda... Erm, I mean, I wouldn't expect that of you, Peridot." Matrix smiled lightly, having whispered the first part of his sentence. just a ting of red was on his cheeks.

"I didn't expect it of me either, heh. Even after we defused, I kept fighting. I managed to break my visor. On his face." Peridot said, and Matrix laughed.

"Maybe I should have waited awhile longer before coming back. Sounds like you had him on the ropes." Matrix joked, but Peridot gave him a look that said 'That's not funny.'

"... Matrix, can I ask you something?" She asked after a moment of silence between them.

"Shoot." Matrix shrugged.

"When you were... When you were dead, what was it like? Were you just sleeping? Could you see what was happening around you?" Peridot asked, eager to know.

"You wanna know?"

"Yes."

"You really wanna know?"

"Yes..!"

"You really really wanna-"

"MATRIX!"

Matrix flinched. "Eheheh... To be honest, I don't remember."

"... Are you serious..?" Peridot asked, clearly annoyed. When Matrix nodded, she sighed.

"Sorry Peri." Matrix shrugged as he began to walk towards the party.

"Oh, but I've gotta tell you something." Matrix looked over at Peridot, who looked up as he spoke.

"Jasper says hi." Matrix grinned, facing forward once again and continuing to walk away.

Peridot was surprised by his words to say the least, before thinking for a moment, realizing he must have been lying a moment ago.

"Hey, wait a second!" Peridot chased after him.

"You aren't getting off that easy Tigers Eye!"

* * *

"You look familiar from somewhere..." Connie's mother said, stroking her imaginary beard as she looked at Hematite.

"Uh... I think I might just be a Gem with one of those faces... Heh..." Hematite's eyes shifted nervously.

"Wait a minute... Aren't you the one who assaulted our daughter?!" Connie's father said, stepping forward, Hematite stepping back.

"Uh... Would you look at the time! Here, talk to Howlite." Hematite grabbed Howlite, who was clearly surprised as he was pushed in front of Mr and Mrs Maheswaran.

"Hey what are yo-" Howlite looked over his shoulder, but Hematite was already gone. "How does he do that..?" He muttered.

"You look familiar too..." Mr Maheswaran said, and Howlite shrugged.

"I have made a few appearances on the news." Howlite said, but they shook there heads.

"Aren't you the one who interrogated our daughter?" Mrs Maheswaran quickly questioned, and Howlite thought for a moment.

"Interrogate is a strong word."

"What word would you use?"

"Uh... Here, talk to Emerald." Howlite jumped up, landing behind Emerald and scooping him up, jumping back and setting him down before them.

"Hey wait!" Emerald called as Howlite jumped away. "Beastly bastard..." Emerald muttered under his breath.

"You know, I get the strangest feeling that you've also assaulted our daughter..." Mrs Maheswaran said, arching a brow at Emerald.

"Nope, never laid a hand on her." Emerald lied easily, placing his hands in his pockets as he slouched slightly.

"Are you sure?" Mr Maheswaran questioned.

"Heh, do I look like a lair to you?" Emerald smirked.

"Yes."

"... Good eye." Emerald shrugged.

* * *

107 stood at the side of the ship, welding a piece of metal over the hole in it's side, ignoring the party going on.

"Hm..." The Cluster watched from a short distance, intrigued by this.

"We've never seen anything like this before..." The Cluster walked slowly to 107, who turned off the blow torch, looking over his shoulder at the Cluster as he flipped up the mask he wore to protect from sparks.

"Yes, they are a newer technology..." 107 arched a brow at the Cluster.

"Um... If you don't mind me asking, what Gem are you? You don't match any Gem in my database..." 107 put the blow torch on the ground, turning to face the Cluster.

"Well, I am not one Gem."

"So you're a fusion?"

"Well, I don't think the Garnet would approve of me being referred to as a fusion... I am a forced fusion."

"?!" 107 was clearly surprised. "Wait, but all of the prototypes failed. How are you this... stable?"

"Well, it's actually kind of easy once all of the others were gone. Now that it's just the few of us, we can function quite well." The Cluster flicked himself in the head.

"Hm... Intriguing..." 107 took a step closer, inspecting him.

"Well, in any case," 107 took a step back. "On behalf of the lab workers forced to make you what you are, I apologize."

While this apology would have been sincere, 107's blank expression and tone made it seem more like something he was forcing.

"Um... Thanks..?"

"No, there's no need to apologize. We are alive because of you."

"Grr..."

"..."

"Put 'er there!"

107 stood there, slightly surprised by the sudden burst of five voices, before shrugging.

"... Alrighty then." He turned back to his work.

* * *

Amazonite stood there, watching Emerald awkwardly talk his way through Connie's parents.

"Y'know, Emerald really went hard to make sure Bloodstone didn't smash you." Blue Diamond said from behind her.

"W-what? Really?" Amazonite looked back at her, slightly surprised.

"Oh yeah. Took a scythe to the chest. But not before throwing Bloodstone around and stabbing him through the Gem." Blue Diamond nodded, crossing her arms and smirking.

"That doesn't sound like him..." Amazonite blushed a light blue.

"Well of course, Emerald's pretty cowardly most of the time. But we really saw he's willing to step up for a certain someone." Blue Diamond wiggled her eyebrows at Amazonite.

"H-hey! What are you getting at?!"

* * *

"Humans are so... Annoying." Howlite said under the roar of the music, arms crossed.

"Aw come on, don't be such a sour puss!" Lapis said loud enough for Howlite to hear.

"I am not a sour puss. I just don't like these humans. They're so loud." Howlite rolled his eyes.

"It's called music, Howlite." Lapis crossed her arms.

"Well I hate it." Howlite grumbled.

"You hate everything." Lapis rolled her eyes.

"And here I thought you didn't get me." Howlite grinned that wolfish grin of his.

"Hm... Come on." Lapis grabbed Howlite by the wrist, dragging him further into the music.

"Hey, where are you taking me?" Howlite questioned. "I happened to like my corner!"

"You can't stay in your corner your whole life."

"You underestimate my ability to be a party pooper." Howlite said, eyes narrowing at Lapis.

"Allow me to rephrase that. I won't _let_ you stay in your corner your whole life." Lapis smirked back at him, and he rolled his eyes.

"Can you at least tell me what we're going to do?" Howlite said, slouching in defeat.

"We're going to dance." Lapis said, and Howlite jolted up.

"W-what?! Oh hell no!" Howlite pulled against her, forcing her to hang onto him with both hands.

"Come on, Howlite! You never do anything fun!" She said, struggling to keep him in place.

"The corner is fun!" Howlite argued, his teeth seeming to grow sharp as he yelled, clearly flustered. His face had become a shade of red.

"The corner is the literal opposite of fun!"

"Which is fun for me!"

"Maybe if you tried to enjoy yourself some time you wouldn't be such a sour puss!"

"I like who I am, it's you I have a problem with!"

"Howlite, you are going to have fun whether you like it or not!"

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"Come oooooon!" Lapis struggled to drag Howlite, who had dug one hand onto the floor to keep himself from moving, Lapis's wings wrapping around his arm as well as she pulled him.

"Lapis you can tear my arm off but I am not dancing with you!" Howlite snapped at her with his sharp teeth.

"Howlite we can do this the easy way or the I drag you there with water hands way!"

* * *

Hematite laughed lightly to himself as he watched Lapis attempt to drag a flustered Howlite to the dance floor, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Aren't they cute?" Blue Diamond said, grinning next to him.

Hematite looked over at her, nodding. "Very." Hematite said jokingly.

"So, whatcha doin' over here in your corner?" Blue Diamond asked, arching a brow at Hematite.

"Watching the others be idiots with minor amusement." Hematite looked back to the party.

"Hm... That sounds boring." Blue Diamond frowned. "I'm pretty bored too."

"Why don't you go harass the humans? I'm sure your... Personality could cause some confusion among them." Hematite suggested.

"Oh please, I've already done the crap out of that." Blue Diamond pulled two hand fulls of phone numbers from her pockets.

"Eventually, word passes along, and they catch on. Kinda disappointing really." She shrugged.

"Well, that's too bad." Hematite clearly didn't care all that much.

"Well aren't you in a pleasant mood." Blue Diamond grinned, getting uncomfortably close, though Hematite didn't show any signs of being uncomfortable.

"Want me to cheer ya up?"

In an instant, Hematite's blade was pressed against her chin, and her grin widened.

"Ya know, you keep pointing that thing at me. I think it's a metaphor for something else you wanna stab me with."

"... You have issues." Hematite said easily, Blue Diamond taking a step back as he sheathed his blade.

"I'm gonna get somebody eventually." Blue Diamond crossed her arms, making a pouty face.

"Maybe I'll mess with that new emerald... I don't think they've been here long enough to know my game." Blue Diamond smirked.

"Good luck." Hematite said sarcastically.

"I don't need luck, I've got all of this." She gestured to her whole body before walking out.

Hematite sighed. "We let her rule parts of our planet..."

* * *

"... This is bull crap..." Howlite said as he and Lapis danced, his hair and clothes soaked in water, as if he'd been grabbed by a hand of water. A light red could be found on his usually pale white face.

Lapis laughed, grinning at Howlite. "I warned you, didn't I? But you just had to keep up that grumpy cool guy act."

"What do you mean act?" Howlite said, surprised. "That's just how I am!"

"You might have everyone else fooled Howly, but not me. I know what's under that shell of yours." She poked him in the chest.

"Emptiness." Howlite said, making his eyes look dead for a moment.

Lapis laughed once again, surprising him. "Quit being so edgy, Howlite!" She laughed, playfully shoving him. Howlite was clearly shocked by her response, his face now a darker shade of red.

 **"You're gonna cut me!"**

* * *

 **D'aww.  
**

 **This party aftermath thing will have to be two parts, to make up for all of the wait. I'd like to get part 2 out by tomorrow, because on Monday I'm off of break and have to go back...**

 **Ehhhh... I don't wanna go back...**

 **But yeah, I'd like to get next chapter out by tomorrow, so please Favorite Follow and Review!**

 **XWolf26, out**


	63. Chapter 62: Home (Part 2)

**Thanks go to Kagehime-sama53, xaudreymoonx, StoryWriter2003, Guest, S U fan, KillJoyGem, whateverman53, and Guest.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

107 groaned, stretching as he stepped back from the ship, looking over his shoulder at the party.

"Should I be over there? Interacting with them? 'Getting to know them'?" 107 held his chin in thought.

"Whatcha doing over here all by yourself?"

107 was slightly surprised, though he didn't show it as he turned to face the voice.

Blue Diamond leaned against the ship, crossing her arms under her chest and arching a brow at 107.

"I do not know many of the ones over there. And these Earthling customs the others seemed to have adopted are lost on me." 107 spoke casually, Blue Diamond slightly surprised.

He didn't acknowledge at all who she was. Usually, someone said something. She had expected, she'd wanted, a reaction.

"Is something wrong?" 107 questioned, looking over a few broken wires as he spoke. "It's been thirty seconds, and you have said nothing. You have only stared at me with poorly hidden shock." 107 didn't look at her as he spoke.

"How did you..?" Blue Diamond shook her head. "Oh, you're fun..." She whispered.

"I don't hear that often. Thank you." 107 said, and once again Blue Diamond was taken aback.

"If you don't want me to hear your thoughts, don't verbalize them." 107 said, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. It was not some form of ridicule, there was no form of triumph in his voice, it was as if he was giving her a tip.

"Well, you're interesting." Blue Diamond got closer, as if inspecting 107.

"Well I'm not exactly one of a kind, but I appreciate the compliment." 107 didn't acknowledge the distance between them, and Blue Diamond's eyes narrowed.

"... I'll be back later." She turned around, walking back to the house. "Don't you go anywhere."

"I didn't plan on it." 107 didn't face her as she left.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked himself after she'd left. "She certainly seemed bothered by something..."

* * *

"Back already?" Hematite watched as Blue Diamond sat down next to him, resting her chin on her hand with wide eyes.

"Was it that easy to get to him?" Hematite arched a brow at her.

"I... I think he won..." Blue Diamond said, staring off into nothing in particular.

"What?" Hematite was taken aback.

"He just... It was like he didn't even... No! I am not gonna lose this easily!" Blue Diamond shot up, stomping to the door.

"... Alrighty then." Hematite shrugged.

* * *

"Oh... Oh my god..." Emerald was clearly holding in laughter, watching as Howlite and Lapis danced.

"Emerald what's wro-... Oooooh my god..." Amazonite trailed off.

"My OTP!" Emerald threw his arms up into the air, Amazonite laughing.

* * *

"I am not edgy..." Howlite grumbled to himself as they danced, and Lapis just rolled her eyes, still grinning.

"You know you are." She said, and Howlite glared at her.

"But you have no reason to still be like that. Fight's over, and you're home." Lapis said, and Howlite looked to the side.

"The fight isn't over, and I don't even have a home yet. Tonight I'll be wandering the streets because I have no other place to be." Howlite complained.

"That's not what I meant by home. And until we take on Homeworld, the fight's over." Lapis tried to convince.

"I find your optimism irritating and almost out of character." Howlite said, expression blank.

"What can I say?" Lapis shrugged.

"I'm just glad no one else, including you, died out there."

Howlite stopped dancing, eyes widening slightly.

"Uh... Howlite? Did I say something wrong?" Lapis tilted her head slightly to the side.

"No, no..." Howlite looked down, smiling lightly. "I just... It's nothing." Howlite looked up at her, keeping that smile, which Lapis returned.

"Whatever you say, sour puss."

* * *

"Well, I think I've had my fill..." Hematite stood from his chair, placing his hands in his pockets and stepping out through the door.

"No matter how I look at it, I just can't be happy about your death..." Hematite laughed lightly to himself, hands in his cloak pockets.

"Pretty pathetic of me, huh?" Everything around him seemed to be silent as he walked past party goer after party goer, Bloodstone's scythe seeming to glow on his back.

"I feel like I have to apologize, but there's no one left to say it to..." Hematite laughed once again, looking at the sand at his feet as he walked.

"Pretty... Pretty pathetic..." Hematite stopped, the world around him ceasing movement.

He grabbed his chest, gnawing on his lower lip as his laughter ceased.

"D-damn it..." His voice was unstable, as if he was trying to keep from crying.

In Hematite's silent world, footsteps in the sand became apparent.

They were light, but getting louder as the sand crunched beneath them. As if they were stomping towards them.

Hematite just stood there, motionless in his cold world.

In an instant, he felt himself being pulled into a hug, and he felt himself being yanked from this chill.

"It's okay." Pearl told him, refusing to let go as Hematite's arms fell limp at his sides.

"It's all going to be okay." She kept telling him sternly, the world around them still.

"... Thank you..." Hematite whispered, eyes clamped shut as he held back tears.

Pearl smiled lightly. "I'm too nosy to let you stay like this, anyway."

* * *

"Ah, you're back." 107 said, wiping sweat from his brow as he looked at a newly patched hole in the ship.

Blue Diamond refused to be shaken by the fact that he'd knew she was coming before she was within twenty feet of him.

"Did'ja miss me?" She grinned at him, and he shrugged, putting tools back in their proper places.

"I enjoy my own presence but don't have too much against yours." 107 said honestly, setting the box up on a wooden table before turning to face her, hands in his pockets.

Once again Blue Diamond found it difficult to find something to say. She fed off of the responses of others to come up with something to push them into that uncomfortable zone, but 107 showed nothing. He seemed perfectly fine in every situation. She could guess that he would have been able to stare down Bloodstone with disturbing ease.

"You're doing that thing again." 107 said about forty five seconds into their staring contest. "You know, where you don't say anything for prolonged periods of time."

"Oh, my apologies." Blue Diamond smirked, grabbing onto his arm and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Wanna go back to the party now?" she looked up at him, batting her eye lashes.

"I suppose I should get to know everyone." 107 said, ignoring her behavior once more as they began walking towards the party.

 _This might be the greatest challenge I've ever faced..._ Blue Diamond's eyes narrowed as she stared at 107, who looked forward as they went.

 _But I'm gonna get in your head if it's the last thing I do..._

* * *

"So now are you willing to tell me what happened?" Pearl glanced over at Hematite as they sat on the roof.

Hematite took a deep breath. "I suppose, since you clearly won't get off my back until I do..." He rolled his eyes.

"That's right I won't." Pearl said.

"Well, while you were all doing your shipping talk, Bloodstone began to crawl out of his crater. I had been watching him the whole time, and my first instinct, my only instinct, was to let him go. To hunt him like an animal..."

"So I let him get away. and I chased him down through a forest to the Warp Pad. I knew where he was going, so I let him get on it. Just as I had suspected, he went right to the Gem Utopia."

"Why would he go there?"

"It's where all of us Reaper's go to die. When the day comes, I'll go there to." Hematite shrugged. "But that's not important."

"I called out to him, and he stopped, refusing to turn around and face me. I yelled out to him again, and he shakily turned around. I gave him one last speech, and then... Well... He had a lot of lives left, you know..." Hematite laughed lightly, looking down.

"Killing an old friend once is difficult... Killing them twice is heart breaking. Killing them as many times as I did... Well, it's unpleasant." Hematite shook his head. "And all with an honest grin on my face."

Pearl frowned to herself, trying her best not to picture the scene. All she could think about was Hematite's return, coated in Bloodstone's blood. That dead look in his eye. His shaking hands.

"He made one last attempt at flying off. I let him get high into the sky... Heh... I chopped off his wing with this..." Hematite held Death God Slayer in his hand.

"He plummeted to the ground, and I threw down another blade, pinning him there by his one remaining wing. As he reached for it to pull it out, I chopped off his hand at the wrist. Heheh..." Hematite ran a hand through his hair.

"N-Now Hematite, I know what you're thinking." Hematite quoted. "Should I or shouldn't I kill this guy?" Hematite grinned, his hair covering his eyes.

"Now the answer might surprise you-" Hematite stopped mid sentence, slashing his sword into the air. "I pinned his hand to the ground, and stabbed another blade through it. I pinned him there, and then... Then I..."

"Heh... Gah! H-H-Hematite, p-please, show some mercy..!"

Hematite held his head in his hands. "I beat his Gem in with my bare fists. Again. And Again. And again." Pearl was disturbed by Hematite's words, but tried her best not to show it.

"I just grinned as his blood spilled across my face. As he begged and pleaded before going silent... And after awhile, I stood. Knowing he was down to his last life. Pinned there, under my blades..."

"I asked him, no, I begged him to tell me he felt bad... T-to tell me that he didn't want it to be like this... To tell me... To tell me my friend was still alive in there..." Hematite's eyes were clamped shut as he grabbed fists full of his hair.

"What... What did he say?" Pearl reached slowly to him, but pulled back quickly.

"He... He just... He started laughing... And I knew it was true. I knew without doubt that I really had let my friend die so many years ago..." Pearl had seen that answer coming, but still felt her heart sink for him as he said it.

"But despite his laughter, heh... He was crying..." A small smile appeared on Hematite's face. "And I knew what was left of my friend was telling me to kill that damn imposter..." Hematite let go of his head, still looking down.

"So I did. And as he burnt in the white flames of this blade, he kept up that damn laughing. But there was something in his eyes... Thanking me..." Hematite sat back on his hands, looking up at the stars.

"And now, knowing everyone down there is dancing on the grave of my friend... Well, I just can't join them." Hematite shook his head. His expression returned to normal.

"Hematite..." Pearl said, and Hematite glanced over at her.

"Y'know, it seems like you just keep saying-" Hematite was pulled into a hug once again, and he sighed.

"This is kind of out of character for you, y'know." He said, not resisting.

"While I'm not usually one to hug people, I'm also not one to let people fall so easily into depression.

"..."

"After today, we go back to being just rivals." Hematite told her, returning the hug.

* * *

Howlite and Lapis sat down, tired of dancing.

"See? Was that so bad?" Lapis arched a brow at him.

"Yes." Howlite crossed his arms, pouting.

Lapis rolled her eyes, a small smile appearing on her face.

"I'm gonna drag you out of that shell if it kills me, Howlite."

"It'll kill us both, Lapis."

* * *

"Uh... What's up with Blue Diamond?" Emerald questioned, watching as she leaned against 107, who simply sat, speaking with Garnet as if nothing was wrong.

"She's probably made 107 her latest target." Amazonite shrugged.

"Heh, she's gonna have some serious trouble with that." Emerald crossed his arms.

"I'll say. Guy doesn't show any emotion." Amazonite chuckled. "He's probably clueless as to what she's doing right now."

* * *

"You know, I wouldn't expect a Diamond to be as friendly as you are." 107 said, glancing over at Blue Diamond.

"So you do know I'm a Diamond!" Blue Diamond said, and 107 nodded.

"Obviously. It wasn't exactly hard to piece together. Why did you think I was unaware?" 107 arched a brow at her.

"Well you didn't exactly show any emotion upon seeing me. Usually there's something in every Gem's eyes, even in the robotic ones, like you." Blue Diamond said. "Some kind of twitch, or maybe they'll stand straighter or something. But there's always been some form of... Well, something." Blue Diamond shrugged.

"My apologies. Yellow Diamond had the same irritation with me." 107 said. "She always seemed... Strangely unnerved when I was in the room. She would also have those staring contests with me that you have." 107 had been looking forward as he spoke, but he suddenly turned his head to face Blue Diamond, making her jump slightly.

"Tell me, why is that? I was always told the Diamonds were supposed to be completely unshakable." 107 seemed to have curiosity in his voice, though it did not show on his face.

Blue Diamond seemed to giggle. "Well, the Diamonds aren't perfect, either. Sure, Yellow kinda likes to pretend she is, and enforce that her followers do the same. But if you've ever seen who she really is, and from what you're saying, I'm guessing you got a glimpse of it, you know she's far from Perfect. As for... Well, our third is a little different from us."

"You seem troubled by the mention of White Diamond." 107 said, and Blue seemed to be made uneasy just by her mention. 107 was once again looking forward.

"Let's get off of this topic..." Blue Diamond glanced to the side.

"Your attitude has changed." 107 said simply, staring out at the sea of humans. "You seemed... More upbeat and almost clingy a moment ago. Then we got to this subject."

"Heh, you're really good at making people uncomfortable." Blue Diamond said, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Coming from you, that means a lot."

Once again, Blue Diamond was taken aback.

 ** _HE KNOWS._**

* * *

Foot steps echoed across the Gem Utopia.

She walked past craters and rubbled buildings.

A Bloodstone shaped hole was in one of the buildings as she walked by.

Blood was in puddles leading to one giant crater, charred pieces of what could have been a wing and a hand laying on the ground.

She stood over the crater, looking down at the Bloodstone shaped dent in it's bottom, two holes stabbed into the indent, one in the left hand and one in the right wing.

"Hm..." The cloaked Gem said. "Hematite, how brutal of you..." A small, almost unnoticable smirk tugged at her lips.

"A sad yet fitting end for you, Bloodstone." She turned around, seeing the warp pad light up across the Gem Utopia.

"And how predictable of you, Hematite." She said, shaking her head as she jumped, landing over a pile of rubble and continuing to walk.

"As much as I would love to chat, and I really would love to..." Footsteps were rushing towards her.

"I have others to speak with..."

Hematite jumped onto a pile of rubble, looking over the area. Empty.

"What... What was that?" His blades shook in his hands, and he glanced rapidly. "I felt something here, but..." Hematite took a deep breath.

"No, I'm just letting my thoughts get the better of me once again..." Hematite glanced back at the crater behind him, his blades shaking slightly.

"He's dead, Hematite..."

* * *

"Well, I think I've had a long enough break." 107 said, standing from Steven's couch and beginning to walk towards the door.

"Hey, wait up!" Blue Diamond followed, and 107 didn't glance back at her as he opened the door.

"Yes?" He asked, stepping down the deck.

"You'll over work yourself, y'know?" Blue Diamond said, though 107 didn't bother stopping.

"Unlikely. Emerald's were made for this kind of work, and have a certain tolerance for it." 107 placed his hands in his pockets as he moved along.

"Well, all work and no play is never a good idea." Blue Diamond said as 107 stopped, looking over the ship once more.

"Seems to have kept Homeworld running for quite some time now." 107 picked up his toolbox once again, walking over to another hole in the ship.

"C'mon 107, don't you have any fun?" Blue Diamond wrapped her arms around 107's shoulders from behind, stopping him in his tracks.

"No." 107 said blankly. "I'm not exactly the play type."

"Coulda fooled me..." Blue Diamond muttered under her breath.

* * *

Emerald grabbed a hand full of popcorn from his bowl, watching Blue Diamond and 107 interact.

"This is gonna be good." Amazonite said, grabbing a hand full from the bowl as well.

"Definitely." Emerald said, mouth full of food.

Gems didn't exactly know a lot about manners, eating or otherwise.

* * *

"Whatever the case, I enjoy making myself useful." 107 broke free from Blue Diamond's grasp, stopping in front of more ship damage.

Blue Diamond quickly stepped in front of him, almost earning a glare.

"I dislike when people stand in the way of my work." 107 said emotionlessly, staring at her.

"And I dislike when people don't play my game." Blue Diamond leaned in close. Her eyes narrowed, as did 107's.

"I dislike playing games." 107 spoke easily.

Blue Diamond growled, before grinning. "Well, if you're really that determined to make yourself useful, I know how you can~"

107 arched a brow at her as she ran one finger across his chest, as if he really had no idea what she was talking about.

"How's that?" He asked, and Blue Diamond's eye twitched slightly.

 _How clueless can one Gem be?! Arg! This is impossible!_

"You're doing that staring thing again." 107 said, and Blue Diamond was even more annoyed by the small smirk that appeared on his face.

 _He's just playing dumb... He's known all along! This green SOB might be as competitive as I am!_

Blue Diamond suddenly grabbed him by the collar, yanking him into a kiss, 107's expression unchanging.

"..." Amazonite's jaw dropped, popcorn falling out of her mouth.

"Hot damn." Emerald said, eyes wide as well, sticking a few more pieces of popcorn in his mouth.

"..." Blue Diamond eventually let 107 go, glaring at him as he kept that same expression.

"... Uh..." 107 blinked twice, as if trying to get rid of shock that didn't seem to be there.

"Are you coming on to me?" 107 arched a brow at her, and she growled again, a look of anger on her face as she grabbed her hair, clearly frustrated beyond her wits.

There it was again, that tiny smirk on 107's face.

That smirk that said "I win."

"... That's it." Blue Diamond grabbed 107, dragging him along by the back of his shirt as she walked off to somewhere.

"Uh... Where are we going?" 107 questioned, his legs hanging limp as she dragged him.

Blue Diamond laughed maniacally. "You're going for the rid of your life, you smug prick!"

"... Uh, what does that mean..?" Though Blue Diamond didn't see it, the smallest bit of unease appeared in 107's eyes.

Blue Diamond just laughed.

* * *

"Oh my god, where are they going?!" Emerald shot up from his seat, shooting to the railing of the deck, leaning over it to watch them leave.

"There's no way..!" Amazonite covered her mouth, mouth agape, though it formed a grin.

"I think he pushed her too far!" Emerald covered his mouth in shock, laughing.

* * *

"Woohoo Blue." Hematite smirked to himself, sitting on the roof again. He'd decided to forget about what had transpired earlier at the Gem Utopia, knowing it was just a figment of his imagination.

"What do you mean? What are they doing?" Pearl asked, and Hematite glanced over at her, before laughing lightly.

"Don't worry about it." He waved a hand dismissively.

"..." Pearl suddenly gasped. "You don't think they're going to-"

Hematite laughed. "Nah, Blue's probably just bluffing. She'll just scare him, he'll give up, and she'll win." Hematite shrugged.

"And if he calls her bluff?" Pearl arched a brow at him.

"Then it won't be a bluff anymore." Hematite shrugged.

* * *

The party had reached into the AM, some people beginning to pass out in random places like their last party, some of the Gems retreating to their quarters.

As for Gems like Howlite, Hematite, and the Cluster, who had no where to be, they simply continued to wander.

That was, of course, until all three of them ended up sitting in three chairs around a bonfire someone had started on the beach with drift wood and what looked like 107's welding torch.

"Well, this has been... Something." Howlite said, leaning back in his chair.

"Is this how things are up here?" The Cluster arched a brow at them, and they shrugged.

"To be honest, things are usually a lot more chaotic. But this aura of happiness seems to be a constant." Howlite shrugged. "I don't particularly care for it, though."

"I beg to differ." Hematite smirked at him, and his eyes darted from left to right.

"I uh... I don't know what you're talking about..." Howlite said, and Hematite chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Hematite laughed.

"You were hugging the pearl on the roof." The Cluster glanced over at him, and Hematite was taken aback.

"Platonically." Hematite corrected.

"Hohoho!" Howlite looked over at Hematite, grinning.

"Wipe that grin off your face."

The Cluster smiled to himself as he watched them, taking a deep breath.

"Hey, where's 107?" Howlite glanced around after awhile. "I figured he'd be here with us, not like he's got anywhere to be." Howlite said.

"Eh, I think he's got something to do right now." Hematite shrugged.

"I did not see him working on the ships." The Cluster said, looking to be thinking.

"Maybe he's got something more important to deal with." Hematite said.

"Wait, wasn't he hanging around with Blue Diamond last time anyone saw him?" Howlite said, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Heh, I'm sure she's got him doing some ridiculous activity then." Hematite chuckled lightly.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm sure she wouldn't do anything stupid. Or really I don't think 107 would do anything stupid." Howlite sat back in his chair, as if at ease once again.

* * *

Peridot and Matrix had party horns once again, going around and causing trouble with them.

That's all they'd been doing for this party, avoiding the others and just enjoying one anothers company.

Ronaldo and Jenny could be found passed out in lawn chairs, which they snuck up behind, blowing their horns right into their ears, making them jump up and look around.

When they looked back to their seats, Peridot and Matrix had taken them.

They both just kind of grumbled at them, continuing on.

Sour Cream's music had stopped, as he seemed to have closed his eyes for just a little too long on a short break. He'd left light, calm music playing.

"This calm... It's so... Different." Peridot eventually said.

"Yeah, it's definitely not like anything we've experienced..." Matrix leaned back in his chair. "For quite some time now it's just been fighting and fighting and fighting..."

"I'm so tired, Matrix..." Peridot said, looking at the stars with him.

"Well this next while will be good rest for us all." Matrix put his hands behind his head.

"Yeah... It's kind of nice. Seeing everyone so happy." Peridot smiled lightly. "No one's crying, no one's dying, no one's hurting."

"I dunno, Hematite seemed pretty messed up earlier." Matrix shrugged.

"..." Peridot glared at him out of the corner of her eye. "Do you have to undermine everything I say?"

"As long as I keep getting reactions like that." Matrix grinned.

Peridot groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I knew you were gonna say that..."

There was a short period of silence between them, each of them just staring at the stars.

"Hey, Peridot?" Matrix glanced over at her after awhile.

"Yes?" Peridot returned the glance.

"Back on the ship, you offered up a fusion." Matrix offered his hand to her. "That offer still on the table?" He smirked.

"H-huh?" Peridot was clearly surprised. "B-but, why would we do that? I-... I mean, there's no danger and..."

"To see if we really can form a less terrifying Tanzanite, of course." Matrix stood, offering his hand to Peridot.

"W-well... I... Um..." Peridot blushed lightly, looking to the side.

"You don't have to if you don't want-" Matrix stopped mid sentence, Peridot taking his hand.

Matrix smiled, pulling her from her chair.

After a short period of dancing, they were morphing into a white ball, twisting in the air before slowly forming a smaller fusion.

Hood now down, messy hair could be seen, though a fairly short pony tailish bit of hair was at the back of his head, which formed a triangle at the end.

With dark green skin, orange lines ran across him, an orange band of color running over their eyes and presumably under their hair.

They wore Matrix's cloak, looking at their hands, which seemed to look like a normal pair of hands now, unlike before, when they had Peridot's chalk fingers from her cannons. The orange lines ran up to their finger tips.

Small volts of electricity jumped around them, and a small smile appeared on their face as they began to laugh.

"Well, this is certainly different." Tanzanite said, grinning to show one sharp tooth in the bottom right of his mouth.

"I... I feel stronger than before... I feel more stable..." Tanzanite looked himself over.

"So... This is what a real fusion feels like..." Tanzanite grinned. "It's... Well..."

Tanzanite laughed lightly, sitting back on one of their chairs.

"I might just be able to stay like this."

"Let's not get crazy..."

"Right, right."

Garnet smiled to herself as she watched from the deck.

* * *

Steven awoke with a yawn and a stretch. Connie was asleep on his couch, wrapped up in a blanket.

He climbed from his bed, going down the few steps to the rest of his home, finding Peedee with his head down on his counter, passed out.

He quickly shooed away Onion, who was coming into the room with a glass of warm water, most likely to dunk someone's hand in and... Well, you know the rest.

Onion seemed to have Rob the Robonoid on his head, and as he ran outside, he stumbled across Emerald.

"There you are ya little... Meh, I shouldn't swear in front of children." Emerald scooped up Onion, who climbed to his back, sitting on his shoulders with Rob on his head.

Emerald smiled up at Onion, turning to walk away, when his eyes widened, seeing an exhausted 107 stumble by.

"Well, you sure did disappear early. What, did'ja go to bed early?" Emerald grinned at 107, who pushed open the door to Steven's home.

"What..? Sleep? No, no... No sleep... No rest..." Steven's eyes widened as he saw 107 enter, rushing up to him.

"107, what happened? Are you hurt? Was there a fight?" Steven asked quickly, and 107 pushed past him, opening his fridge and looking around at what was inside of it.

"Space Jesus what happened to you?" Hematite questioned as he entered the house.

107 held up one finger, as if to say 'In a minute'. He pulled out a full jug of orange juice, his blade appearing over his hand as he chopped off the top, proceeding to chug the entire thing, all of them watching this out of character act with shock.

"O... Okay..." 107 set down the now empty gallon of orange juice, panting for a moment or two as orange liquid ran down his chin.

"You," 107 pointed to Hematite. "I called her bluff."

"You," He pointed to Steven. "I don't think I'll ever be able to fully relive what happened, I think my pelvis may be cracked, and no, there was not a fight... I figured struggling was futile."

"That about..." 107 wiped orange juice from his chin, panting. "Sum things up for ya?"

"H-huh..?" Peedee sat up slowly. "What's that smell?"

"Shame and a lack of regret." 107 said, closing his eyes for a moment as he leaned against the wall.

"Uh... Are you sure? Because to me it kinda smells like lemons..." Peedee arched a brow at him.

"Oh. Heh, Lemons. I get it." Emerald chuckled. "Clever."

"Yeah so, no one touch me..." 107 stumbled by them. "You don't wanna know where I've been."

107 walked outside, and Emerald followed. "Are you okay?" Emerald asked immediately in a whisper.

"I don't even know what I am right now, but I still haven't lost... Heheh..." 107 smirked to himself, his head hanging slightly.

"Was it really that bad?" Emerald questioned, leaning over his shoulder as he spoke with him.

"Bad is not the word I would use, but it was certainly... Exhausting." 107 plopped down in a chair on the beach.

Blue Diamond stretched as she walked by, grinning. Her hair was a mess to say the least, but she seemed to be in a much better condition than 107.

She yawned, sitting in a chair across from Emerald and 107, grinning at them.

Emerald just looked at her, then to 107, then back to her. "What are you?" He eventually asked her.

"A winner." Blue Diamond grinned.

"Tell me, when exactly did I seem uncomfortable in any of those eight hours?" 107 closed his eyes as he leaned back, opening one of them as he flashed that smirk of his.

"..." Blue Diamond's eye twitched once again.

"Space God damn it!" She shot up, and 107 chuckled weakly, sighing with relief as Blue Diamond stormed off.

"Well then..." 107 pushed himself up. "I'm gonna go lay in the water for awhile in attempt to get clean." 107 placed his hands in his pockets as he walked towards the water.

"Oh, and if too many people find out about this," 107 looked over his left shoulder at Emerald, left eye glowing green.

"They will never find your body."

Emerald flinched, 107 looking forward again and continuing to leave.

"... All my life I've known him and yet I still can't figure him out..." Emerald shook his head.

Onion seemed to be whispering something to Emerald.

"Hm? Yeah, he did say eight hours." Emerald nodded.

Onion whispered again.

"Space Christ indeed, kid."

* * *

Hematite felt himself sprinting through rubble, something clouding his vision - wait, why could he see? Why was he letting himself see?

He stopped, pushing a white figure down and out of the way, feeling a shock wave of pain run through his body.

"H... Hematite..?" Zeolite said with wide eyes, Lapis laying on the rubble behind him, eyes wide as well.

"You've betrayed me as well, Hematite?" Bloodstone's eyes narrowed, glaring at Hematite, his scythe piercing through the left side of his chest, right where his heart is.

Hematite growled, pulling Death God slayer from it's sheath, swinging weakly at Bloodstone, who jumped back.

Hematite fell to his knees, coughing blood into his hand, panting for breath.

"Hematite!" Zeolite ran to his side. "What were you thinking? Why did you-"

"What, did you think I was just gonna... Let me be the one to bear the pain of losing you? Heh... I guess that was pretty selfish of me..." Hematite held one hand over his wound, looking into it to see a small shgard of his own Gem in his palm.

"No... No no no..!" Zeolite shook his head, tears coming to his eyes.

"C'mon, I did say I'd always protect you, didn't I..? Though, I guess I never told you that... Heh... Damn it, Pyrite..." Hematite handed Zeolite Death God Slayer, now sheathed.

"The... The old man told me something cliche once... He said..." Hematite coughed. "He said if the swordsmen who wields this blade dies, their soul is kept in that blade..." Hematite laughed lightly.

"Now I'm not sure if Gems, no, if a Gem like me has a soul but..." Hematite closed Zeolite's fingers over the sheathed blade with his own bloodied hands.

"I know you've got a soul... And I know there's no one I'd want more to hang on to my soul than you... So..." Hematite laughed lightly again, looking exhausted.

"Hey, do me a favor..." Hematite put a hand on Zeolite's shoulder, blood seeping from his mouth.

"Don't let this kill that light of yours, alright?" Zeolite's eyes widened, tears rolling down his face as Hematite poofed to shards, Zeolite catching them.

"H-... Hematite..?" He shook his head. He held all that was left of Hematite, including the shards, his cloak, and Death God Slayer close, beginning to cry hysterically.

"HEMATITE!"

* * *

Hematite shot up, gasping for breath.

He looked around, seeing he'd closed his eyes just a little too long on the roof.

He grabbed his gem, sweat rolling down his face as his eyes remained wide.

He looked to the scythe he'd set down next to him, which seemed to glow.

He shook his head, wrapping it up quickly in his cloak.

Hematite panted, holding the scythe in his hands.

He slowly calmed his breathing, closing his eyes for a moment.

"... What was that?" Hematite opened his eyes slowly as he stared at the wrapped up scythe in his hands.

 ** _What's going on..?_**

* * *

 **And that's the chapter! Along with a short glimpse into what the first real short filler thing is.  
**

 **Except it's probably not short. It might take two chapters. Might.**

 **But I can tell you it will be depressing.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	64. Chapter 63: Zeolite

**Thanks go to Guest, Guest, Kagehime-sama53, Demo-nisshu junketsu Duke, StoryWriter2003, KillJoyGem, Sonicherowolf, ice elf30, and Guest.**

 **Alright, so this short... Thing is based on what would have happened if Zeolite survived instead of Hematite. Note that all of the scenes that do not change will not be retyped, so there will probably be a lot of little time skips in this chapter, and it will mostly focus around Zeolite.  
**

 **...**

 **What?**

 **This uh... This wouldn't happen to be about the late about, would it..? H-heh... C-c'mon, stop giving me that look.**

 **Uh... Whatcha gonna do with that glass bottle..?**

 **Gulp...**

 **Fun Fact: Remember when I said I made a version of Stronger Than You for Hematite..? I uh... I kinda did that for Zeolite, too... Heh... I don't have a problem, shut up, you have a problem.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"What an idiot..." Bloodstone grit his teeth, standing over Zeolite.

"Giving his life for someone as worthless as you. Here I thought Hematite was smarter than that." Bloodstone shook his head, kicking aside the sobbing Zeolite, who didn't even seem to know he was there.

Zeolite just laid there as Bloodstone rose his scythe above Lapis.

"My apologies Miss Lazuli, I really did mean to get you first. But you know how impatient those two can be..." He grinned.

"Ah well."

As he swung down, there was a blur of white, and Bloodstone was exploding across the Gem Utopia.

"Rule one:" Howlite spun down, landing on his feet and holding up one finger.

"If you're gonna have a party, invite me."

 **Chapter 63: Zeolite**

 _"Nah... We're two peas in a pod."_ **  
**

* * *

Zeolite wasn't watching the fight. He just sat there, wearing Hematite's cloak, though it was much too big for him.

He sat in the fetal position, wrapped in Hematite's cloak, holding his shards and Death God Slayer close.

His eyes were wide, all light missing from them as he just stared into nothing, tears still streaming from them.

"I... I let him... He's dead because of me..." He kept telling himself.

"If I was just a little stronger... If I was smart enough to have found another solution..." Zeolite snapped his eyes shut, as if in horrible pain.

"Useless... Worthless..."

"Stop that."

Zeolite looked up to see and injured Pearl over him.

"H-huh..?" Zeolite sat up slowly, trying to stop the flow of tears.

"If you were any of those things, Hematite wouldn't have given his life up for you." Pearl assured.

"B-but I... And h-... He's..." Zeolite buried his face in his hands. "It's all my fault..."

"Look, you can sit here blaming yourself all day, or you can help me stop the one who's truly responsible." Pearl offered Zeolite a hand, and Zeolite looked to it slowly.

"He... He was right about you..." Zeolite smiled, taking her hand.

"What do you mean?" Pearl pulled him up.

"It's nothing." Zeolite shook his head.

"Let's go."

* * *

Bloodstone held up Matrix, sucking the energy from him, Matrix's struggling slowly coming to a stop.

Just as Matrix began to fade in and out, Bloodstone held up his scythe, blocking a blade.

Pearl jumped back, sliding slightly.

Bloodstone growled, turning to face her and dropping Matrix.

"Well, look who's finally up." He grinned, and Pearl stood, clearly tired as she held her blade with both hands.

"You think you can fight me? You're barely on par with Hematite, and we all saw what happened to him." Pearl grit her teeth as Bloodstone spoke.

"You're a disgusting excuse for a Gem." Pearl stung with ice.

"At least I'm not a pearl." Bloodstone shrugged. "And you sure have some confidence mouthing off to me like that." Bloodstone's grin turned dark, and he suddenly shot off the ground at Pearl.

As Pearl stood ready, the ground exploded before her, Bloodstone being slammed into it as she jumped back.

Bloodstone growled, pulling himself from a crater as smoke cleared, glaring ahead. "Who dares?!"

Zeolite stood there, hands clenched into fists as Hematite's cloak blew in the wind on him, his cheeks stained with tears.

"... You..." Bloodstone said more to himself than anyone else, frowning as he glared at Zeolite, standing slowly.

"So, finally stopped crying, weakling?" Bloodstone grinned, eyes half open as he tilted his head to the side.

Zeolite shook, hands clenched into fists.

 _"Zeolite, please... If this doesn't work... Look after him for me, okay? Heh... I know he can be a hand full, but I know you can... Well, you know."  
_

 _"Pyrite, please, let us come with you! if we're all there he can't-"_

 _"Zeolite, please. I'll be fine. Have some faith in Bloodstone, I do."_

Zeolite's shaking got more intense, his nails piercing his palms and causing his blood to drip down to the ground.

"She believed in you, you bastard!" He suddenly yelled out, tears filling his eyes as he did so.

"We all believed in you, damn it!"

Bloodstone's grin faded to a look of rage. "Don't you talk about her..."

"WE TRUSTED YOU!"

Bloodstone roared, shooting off the ground at Zeolite, a white blur suddenly spinning down in front of him.

Howlite landed on one hand, slamming his foot up into Bloodstone's chin and sending him back through the air.

Howlite pushed himself up on this hand, spinning in air and landing on his feet, glaring over his shoulder at Bloodstone, who glared at him in response.

Howlite walked to Zeolite and Pearl, Lapis and Steven landing next to them.

"You all need to get out of here." He told them firmly.

Zeolite stood there in silence as the short argument went on. He wanted to object, but he also knew something deep down.

He knew he'd get another shot at killing Bloodstone soon.

* * *

"Zeolite..?" Steven stepped slowly towards Zeolite, who sat against the arm of his couch, once again wrapped in Hematite's cloak and holding his Shards close.

Zeolite glanced at Steven out of the corner of his eye, saying nothing.

"I... I wanted to tell you I'm sorry..." Steven glanced to the side. "If I had been there, I could have healed Hematite. If... If I'd been up, I could have healed Tiger too... I probably could have even..." Steven looked down.

"I... I'm sorry, I'm not really sure how to deal with this stuff yet..." Some guilt was clear in Steven's voice.

"Heh..." Zeolite looked down. "You and me both, kid..." There was another moment of silence, before Zeolite looked up, bags having formed under his eyes.

"Look, don't blame yourself. These... These things happen..." Zeolite looked to be remembering something, and his body tensed around Hematite's shards.

"Hematite wouldn't wanna see the end of this anyway... Y'know, for awhile, we really believed in Bloodstone..." A small smile appeared on Zeolite's face.

"Sure, it's mostly because an old friend promised me to, but a long time ago, I gave Bloodstone a second chance... I trusted him, and a part of me still wants to... I know Hematite wouldn't think that way. Hematite would have never forgiven him if he'd... If I had..."

Steven certainly seemed to be taking something from this. Giving Bloodstone a second chance...

"My point is, don't waste time blaming yourself. It's... It's over now. What's done is done." Zeolite said.

"That... Doesn't sound too reassuring." Steven said, hesitating for a moment.

"Heh, sorry... Hematite was always the more grown up of the two of us. I'm just... Kinda the little brother he's had to look after." He shrugged.

"Guess I'll have to get used to this reality thing, huh..?"

The room was suddenly alight in a white light, everyone looking to the warp pad as a frantic Blue Diamond appeared on it, holding a beaten Howlite on her back.

Before anyone could say anything, she looked around frantically, quickly shooting off to Steven and setting Howlite down before him.

"Heal him!"

"Wha-"

"You've got ten seconds!"

* * *

It had been a few days. Everyone had recovered by now, and everyone was out and about, preparing for the battle that was ever so quickly approaching.

Zeolite had managed to find that old temple, though it took him a few days. At no point in that time had he taken off Hematite's cloak. No one had seen him without it since... Well.

He'd spent most of his time there, sitting on that roof.

Or standing in front of that grave.

He'd never really known the old man that well, and, to be honest, it felt strange having that blade when he had no idea how to use it.

"I guess I should figure out how to use this... Maybe the Pearl could teach me?" Zeolite asked himself, staring at the blade.

"No, maybe I'll just keep it strapped to my lower back and never use it." Zeolite laughed lightly to himself, smiling sadly.

"You know, Hematite, I didn't believe you at first but... It really does feel like I'm... Like I'm close to you when I've got this." Zeolite looked to the side.

"... I wish you were here..." He said after a long period of silence.

"I-I... I wish you were here to tell me everything was gonna be alright... I... I thought when this was over, w-we'd... We'd be happy again... Like old... Like o-old..."

Zeolite snapped his eyes closed, looking down, tears dropping from his eyes to the old roof.

"It was pretty stupid of me... I actually let myself think... I let myself think I could fix things. I thought maybe if we could defeat Bloodstone, then we could convince him to stop and... I-... I thought if they'd helped all of these other Gems, if Steven had managed to convince all of these others..."

"I'm an idiot... I wanted to believe I could put things back the way they were. I thought we could all be friends again. Real friends, like before." Zeolite's hands tightened on the blade's sheath.

"After Pyrite... After Pyrite was shattered, things changed. Bloodstone got much worse, and you and him always had this kind of... Aura about you. This tension. I was almost afraid that if I wasn't there, you were gonna kill each other." Zeolite laughed lightly, but it quickly faded, a frown coming over his face.

"G-good thing I'm still here, huh..?" He laughed lightly, his hair covering his eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"You said you did, you told us that, you told me that so I wouldn't try anything like... Well, you know, what I did. But I knew. I knew after what he did..." Zeolite's teeth seemed to grit.

"You always were the smart one... You stopped believing in him awhile ago. I always wondered, what was it that Pyrite said to you just before she left..? You know, for the last time..? I know she said something... And you looked pretty serious after she said it. I... I have a guess..."

"She asked you to stop him if worst came to worst, didn't she..? Heh... Yeah... That sounds like her... She knew what she was risking when she did what she did..." A few quiet sobs followed Zeolite's words.

"But... You always said you never liked making promises. And I suppose I was never too good at it either. She just wanted me to keep you two together, to fix things if she couldn't, but instead..."

"Is this really the way things work..?!" Zeolite snapped, eyes closed as he kept his head down. "Is the universe this terrible?! What did we do?! What did any of us do to deserve this..?!"

Zeolite's teeth grit in anger. "It was him, wasn't it..? **_Everything he did..._** His sins weighed us all down. We all had to pay for what he did..."

"And now... A-a... And now..." He hugged the blade, crying.

"I'm scared, Hematite... I'm scared and I'm alone and I don't know what to do..!" He broke down, sobbing hysterically.

"I need you here! You can't be gone, you just can't be!" He hugged the blade tighter.

"You said you'd always be around, you said you'd keep me safe no matter what..! You never lie to me, Hematite..! Why now?! Why did you pick now?!" He shook his head, eyes clamped shut as he cried.

"You can't be gone now... Not because of me..." He clenched his teeth as if to stop the sobbing, but it just came through as rapid gasps through his teeth.

"..."

"No..." Zeolite's hands clenched tightly around the blade, the shadow of Hematite's cloak covering his face.

"He... He did this..." The flow of tears stopped.

"I can't keep my promise but... Maybe I can keep yours..." Zeolite stood slowly, Hematite's cloak blowing in the wind behind him.

"I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago..." His claws appeared over his hands.

"Bloodstone- no, Reaper..." He looked up into the distance, his Gem glowing. A shadowed grey figure stood behind him, looking somewhat transparent.

"I no longer believe in you."

* * *

"It's all over now!" Bloodstone shot off the ground at Matrix and Garnet, pulling back his scythe.

A clang ran through the Kindergarten.

Zeolite glared at Bloodstone, holding back his blade with Death God Slayer as Hematite's cloak blew in the wind.

"Remember me?" Zeolite asked coldly, and Bloodstone glared back at him.

"I could never forget a pathetic whelp like you." Bloodstone answered, and Zeolite jumped back, Bloodstone doing the same.

Zeolite sighed, closing his eyes and laughing for a moment.

"Yeah, I guess so. Well, let's just get to the point." Zeolite's eyes snapped open, his claws appearing in a flash.

The two shot off at one another, disappearing in an instant.

The other Gems were slightly surprised, watching them reappear only to disappear again throughout the sky, metallic shock waves rocking the Kindergarten.

Bloodstone snarled at Zeolite, Zeolite holding back his scythe with his claws as they hung in air.

Garnet suddenly appeared behind him, pulling back her gauntlet.

Bloodstone looked over his shoulder, eyes widening as a fist slammed into him, throwing him down towards the ground, exploding into it.

Zeolite landed in front of Bloodstone as he pulled himself from the crater, Garnet landing next to him as well as Matrix, Pearl, and Blue Diamond.

"It's over, Bloodstone. Now face your punishment like a Gem." Zeolite said, shadows covering his eyes as he loomed over Bloodstone.

"Over..? Ha... Ha ha..." Bloodstone grinned, beginning to laugh.

"It won't be over until all of you are dead..!"

"Wha-" The sound of a ship warping in made them all look up, eyes widening at the large golden hand there.

"Ahaha... Ahahahaha! You IDIOTS! What world do you live in, thinking you could possibly defeat me?!" He floated into the air, soldiers flying out behind him.

"You're all gonna DIE!"

Zeolite grit his teeth, Blue Diamond shooting into the air.

Zeolite jumped into the air as well, grabbing onto a soldier and stabbing them, jumping from them to another soldier, beating his way up the chain.

He wasn't sure how long he was up there, jumping from soldier to soldier, but he knew he wouldn't be able to get to Bloodstone.

Lapis dropped down by him, his eyes widening as Howlite futilely tried to revive her.

"Damn it!" Zeolite said, looking up at Bloodstone's ship.

"It'll be fine. Look." Blue Diamond pointed to the two Gems stepping onto the ship, and Zeolite's eyes narrowed.

"I hope for their sake that you're right..."

* * *

Bloodstone stomped past the monitors, catching a reflection in one.

It wasn't his own.

He stopped, looking back into it.

"Heya." Hematite said, crossing his arms as he stared coldly at Bloodstone. His cloak was gone, along with the red lines once on his skin.

Bloodstone grit his teeth. "What do you want, traitor?!" He said with irrational anger.

"You seem angry about something... Well, I guess I know how that feels." Hematite's eyes glowed silver.

"I'm pretty pissed off right now myself."

Bloodstone's eyes narrowed as he stared Hematite down.

"You made me break a promise, just because you can't keep in that murderous rage of yours." Hematite shook his head, sighing in disappointment. He looked down, smirking.

"Trust me, Reaper, if I can keep mine in right now, then you can sure as hell keep yours in all the time." He looked up, his glowing silver eyes the only thing visible under the shadow of his hair.

"Zeolite..." He looked down for a moment, pain in his eyes.

"To be honest, this hurts like hell. I thought me dying wouldn't be as bad. I didn't believe there was an afterlife, so I figured just not existing would be better than dealing with this. But lo and behold, I'm stuck in this purgatory crap. There a few of your other victims here, none of 'em are particularly happy with me." Hematite shrugged.

"... But she's not here." Hematite said, the glow of his eyes disappearing, making it seem as though he didn't have pupils or iris's in the shadow of his hair.

"... What do you mean..?" Bloodstone's eyes narrowed.

"I asked the other ones if they'd seen her where they'd went. None of 'em had." Hematite shook his head.

"Hematite..." Bloodstone growled, his glare darkening.

"And you know what that means, don't you?" Hematite tilted his head to the side.

"Be quiet..." Bloodstone's hands clenched into fists.

"Anyway," Hematite looked up, as if he could see a sky above him.

"If I had to guess, I'd say when the sun rises it's gonna be a pretty beautiful day outside." Hematite shrugged.

"Birds'll be singing."

"Flowers'll be blooming."

"And on days like that, Gems- no, people in general- like you..."

"Heh, well." Hematite turned around, back facing Bloodstone.

"I'll see ya there, Reaper."

Hematite disappeared.

Bloodstone felt his heart pounding in his chest, and he suddenly slammed his fist into the monitor, shattering it.

He heard the door open, and looked over, panting rapidly.

"You..."

"Me."

* * *

"Well well, look who decided to step up." Eclipse grinned at Zeolite, who stood silently, glaring at him.

"It's too bad Hematite isn't around to save you, huh?" He mocked, and Zeolite grit his teeth.

"Heh... You brats really are stupid, huh?" Zeolite's claws appeared over his hands, and Eclipse flinched.

"What, you think weaklings like you are allowed to talk down to me and get away with it?" Zeolite smirked, The shadow of Hematite's hood covering his eyes.

"I'm gonna shred you."

Eclipse jumped back, hearing something slash through the air just in front of him, though he saw nothing there.

Zeolite shot down from above, and he blasted up at him, though the blast was split down the middle.

Eclipse jumped back, seeing Zeolite slash into the ground, having used Death God Slayer to slice through the blast.

In one fluent motion, Zeolite had sheathed Death God Slayer on his lower back - Where Hematite would always sheath it - and shot off after Eclipse once more.

He stabbed through the dark fusion, coming out through his back and spinning, stopping and looking over his shoulder at them as they split into two.

Moonstone and Sunstone gasped for breath, each of them backing away from Zeolite quickly.

"You... You aren't supposed to be this stro-" Zeolite grabbed Moonstone, picking him up by the collar of his torn up shirt.

"One thing I've learned lately..." Zeolite frowned, Hematite's cloak covering his eyes.

"Things change."

Zeolite suddenly spun around, using Moonstone to catch the flaming arrow shot at him.

Moonstone roared in pain, Sunstone gasping.

Zeolite dropped Moonstone, catching him with a kick and throwing him into Sunstone.

"Now run." Zeolite told them firmly, hand on the handle of Death God Slayer.

Sunstone nodded quickly, her and Moonstone disappearing in an instant.

"..." Zeolite looked up to the ship looming above them, watching as more and more holes were punched into it.

He sat down, staring up at it, Hematite's bubbled shards appearing in hand as he did so.

"..."

* * *

It was over.

It was finally over.

Everyone stood smiling and laughing over that crater that Bloodstone lay in, defeated.

But Zeolite just stared down into the crater, watching as Bloodstone twitched with life.

Bloodstone didn't see him staring, and he slowly climbed towards the top of the giant crater.

Zeolite felt a small smile tug at his lips as he watched, Hematite's hood once again covering his eyes.

Bloodstone soon got to the top of the crater, and broke into a run.

Zeolite looked to the others, making sure none of them were watching before he jumped off, disappearing.

* * *

Once again, _Hurt (Unplugged)_ by _Trent Reznor_ began playing.

 _I... Hurt myself today..._ Bloodstone stepped over a branch, running quickly through the forest area.

 _To see if I still feel._ He looked back, eyes widening as he heard the branch snap.

 _I... Focus on the pain..._ Zeolite watched as Bloodstone picked up the pace, glaring as he continued forward.

 _The only thing that's real..._ Zeolite grit his teeth, jumping from tree branch to tree branch, staring down at Bloodstone.

 _The needle tears a hole..._ Zeolite could see memories flashing before his eyes. Bloodstone looming over a much younger him a long, long time ago, pulling back his scythe.

 _The old familiar stain..._ Hematite, looking younger, blocked it with his blade, glaring up at a shocked Bloodstone.

 _Try to kill it all away..._ This scene flashed right next to a more recent, similar scene. Hematite's death.

 _But I remember... Everything..._ Bloodstone watched as images flashed before his eyes, that Warp Pad getting closer and closer.

 _What have I become..?_ Bloodstone watched as Pyrite stood before him, holding her arms out to the side, as if to block his path.

 _My sweetest friend..._ Bloodstone's hair covered his eyes as he slashed down with his scythe.

 _Everyone I know..._ Zeolite cried, holding a dying Pyrite in his arms, shaking his head as a as a solemn Hematite stood behind him, staring down at Pyrite, only one wide eye visible.

 _Goes away... In the end..._ Zeolite blinked away tears, Hematite's death once again flashing before his eyes.

 _And could have it all!_ Zeolite remembered watching Hematite stand before Bloodstone all those years ago, right after Pyrite's death. They looked like they hated each other.

 _My empire of dirt!_ Zeolite warped after Bloodstone to the Gem Utopia, watching as Bloodstone continued on, holding his right arm with his left.

 _I will let you down!_ Tears ran down Zeolite's face as he stood on a pile of rubble over looking Bloodstone, staring down at him.

 _I will make you hurt..._ His hands clenched into tight fists, anguish mixing with hatred in his eyes as he stared down at Bloodstone.

The music was replaced with the sound of the pouring rain, and Zeolite took a few deep breathes, watching as Bloodstone seemed to slow.

"Turn around, Bloodstone." He said firmly, and Bloodstone stopped, refusing to turn around.

Zeolite growled, eyes clenching shut as he blinked away more tears.

"TURN AROUND AND FACE ME, YOU DIRTY BROTHER KILLER!"

Bloodstone turned around slowly, looking to the side.

"... Reaper..." Zeolite said. "I once called you more than that, didn't I?" Zeolite arched a brow at him, tilting his head to the side.

"Even with all the anger I had towards you, I found the strength to cast that aside. To embrace you... To support you... To call you my... Friend." Zeolite's voice faltered, but he refused to cry.

"But you... You had the nerve to throw it all away. To betray our trust, and to tear us apart like we were... Like we meant nothing to you!" Zeolite grit his teeth, glaring at Bloodstone.

"And now I feel nothing for you... Nothing but HATRED!" Zeolite could feel tears burning his eyes.

"Hatred for the one who came so far just to destroy!" Zeolite stepped forward as he spoke.

"I care about so many things... I care about our world, I care about this world, I care about myself, I care about all of those still at the Kindergarten, and I care about everyone you took from me!" Zeolite looked down, tears streaming down his face.

"But the one thing... The ONLY thing I no longer care about is YOU!" Zeolite's claws appeared over his hands.

"Pyrite made me promise to protect you and Hematite... Well, you've seemed pretty confident that I'm a failure lately. I guess I might as well prove your point..." Zeolite's claws seemed to grow.

"Since I can't keep my promise, I'll just have to keep Hematite's. Pyrite made him keep the promise, and it's the same one he made to you all those years ago." Zeolite looked down, eyes narrowing.

"He didn't want me to hear, but I did..." Zeolite laughed lightly. "He was always trying to protect me, no matter how much he had to carry on his shoulders... All alone."

Zeolite laughed, tears falling to the ground from his eyes.

"Do you remember what he said to you on that day, Reaper?" Zeolite smiled lightly.

 _"Reaper... If you ever hurt Zeolite... If you ever cause him to feel any worse than he does now, if you ever take him away from me... I will hunt you down, and I will drag you to hell myself."_

"He was always pretty determined to protect me, no matter who he would be up against. And I saw the look on your face when he said that. Your back was to him, but I saw it." Zeolite smirked lightly, still crying.

"You were afraid, Reaper."

"Afraid of the one you thought would be the one to destroy you, because you always knew it would come to this." Zeolite laughed lightly once again.

"It's funny, a long time ago, Pyrite actually used to tell me about this nightmare she kept having..." Zeolite's smile became a frown.

"You were there, and Hematite was right here. He always said the same line, and she always cried when she told it to me." Zeolite looked down.

 _"Y'know, dispite the rain, it's still a beautiful day outside."_

 _"Birds are singing... flowers are blooming..."_

 _"On days like these... people like you..."_

 ** _"Should be burning in Hell."_**

"And then, well... He made good on his promise. She said she'd always see him crying, surrounded by our shards. Her shards, your shards, and even my shards..." Zeolite kept his head down, Hematite's cloak blowing in the wind.

"Pretty weird dream, huh? I always told her it was okay. I always hugged her and said that we were all here, and we weren't going anywhere. That nothing could ever separate us. I would even... I would even joke and say that Hematite was too strong to cry anyway... Heheh..." Zeolite's light laughter became sobbing for a short moment.

"She never told Hematite. I never told him either. We kept it our little secret. Whenever she needed to talk, she talked to me." Zeolite laughed lightly.

"I was uh... Pretty deep in the friend zone." Zeolite scratched his cheek with one finger for a moment. "But you already saw that, huh? If I had to guess, it's one of the reasons you started to be so rude to me..."

"Hematite would always talk to me about how he felt about you after the Pyrite thing... He really, really started to hate you. And later on... Just a couple months ago, actually, I started having Pyrite's nightmares. I started seeing that same scene." Zeolite sighed.

"I stayed as close to Hematite as I could. I tried hard to make sure that we were never apart, but in the end... That didn't matter." Zeolite closed his eyes.

"It's a funny thing, isn't it..?" Zeolite opened his eyes slightly, laughing lightly. Tears continued down his face, though white flames could be seen spiraling from his Gem.

"The more you hate someone, the easier it is to make them stop living..." He bit his lip to keep from sobbing hysterically.

"But no matter how much you love someone..." A white glow came to his eyes, and his claws grew, a third claw coming out and going over his arm, jutting out from each of his shoulders.

 **"You can't bring them back from the dead!"**

* * *

 **Well, Zeolite's taking this a little harder than Hematite did.  
**

 **Once again, sorry for the late update. But there was Exams and a small lack of muse, and I had to spend so much time thinking of weak excuses and ech, it was all just such a hassle.**

 **But hopefully this won't happen again, because I've kinda wanted to type next chapter for awhile. That being said, I kinda started another fanfiction, so I've also got that one to manage.**

 **Don't worry, this one takes priority. I just don't wanna only type this, or else I might get tired of it.**

 **And that's another thought that terrifies me. You know this is the fifth most reviewed story in all of the Steven Universe Fanfiction Archive? I'm pretty proud of that.**

 **So please, be patient. I've kinda been juggling a lot lately, but now that Exams are over, hopefully that won't be a problem anymore.**

 **Heh, yeah, right.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	65. Chapter 64: Zeolite (Part 2)

**Thanks go to Kagehime-sama53, Guest, S U fan, KillJoyGem, StoryWriter2003, Guest, Guest, SU fan, Guest, Guest, and Lover of Anime 1.**

 **Now uh... You guys are probably wondering why this took so long. Ehehe... Well, I uh... I kinda lost muse for a little bit. Or, really, I gained A LOT of muse for my other story. But don't worry, I will not drop this story. I'll say more at the bottom of the chapter. I'm sure you guys just wanna get to reading, right?**

 **I also got a question asking if all Emerald's can do 107's prototype thing. That is most definitely a no. That is strictly a 107 thing. Now you might be asking 'Well if that's true then why did Emerald's eye do the same glowing thing when he fought Bloodstone?" And the answer there is that he wasn't going into some kind of Prototype mode, he was just tapping into more power from his Gem. Kind of like what Amethyst did in the show when she made herself bigger to fight the Slinker, but instead of making himself bigger, he just put more power out through his attacks.**

 **Now then,**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"A-anyway..." Zeolite wiped tears away, shaking his head.

"I guess I should start this the way Hematite would have." Zeolite's expression grew cold.

"It's a beautiful day outside..." His eyes narrowed, and he looked down.

"But the birds aren't singing..." His hands clenched into fists.

"And the flowers are wilting..." Lightning struck behind Zeolite as he spoke.

"On days like these... Twisted freaks like you..." A grin tugged at Zeolite's lips, eyes glowing white.

 ** _"Should be burning in Hell."_**

In an instant, Zeolite was shooting by Bloodstone, tearing through his Gem as if it was made of paper, landing behind him with his claws out to the sides.

Zeolite stood to his full height, glaring over his shoulder at Bloodstone's reforming shards.

"... Heh." A small smile tugged at Zeolite's lips, before a frown replaced it.

He disappeared in an instant, Bloodstone slashing down into the ground where he once stood.

"The hell?!" Bloodstone looked around, only seeing a white flash shooting across the ground towards him.

Zeolite rammed one elbow into Bloodstone's Gem with enough force to shatter it, sending him flying back through the air, exploding through a gem spire.

"I always wondered why people wasted so much time hiding power at the beginning of fights." Zeolite shrugged, smirking lightly.

"... Well, here we go."

Zeolite snapped, and _Interstellar Retribution/Disbelief (Full version, not the minute and a half one)_ by _DBOYD X KOMMISAR_ began playing in the background.

Zeolite threw Hematite's bubbled shards into the air, letting him watch.

Bloodstone roared, shooting forward and slashing rapidly at him, Zeolite side stepping each and every attack.

"Damn it! You think you can stand against me?! You're nothing but a puny, insignificant-" Bloodstone's eyes widened, coughing blood as Zeolite rammed one elbow into his stomach, forcing him to hunch over.

"Stop talking." Zeolite ordered, spinning around and stabbing one claw through Bloodstone's gem.

Zeolite jumped back, crossing his arms as he watched Bloodstone reform.

His hands clenched onto his biceps, his frown deepening as Hematite's hood covered his eyes.

 _"Look after him for me, okay?"_

Zeolite gnawed on his bottom lip, a stream of tears falling from his left eye.

Bloodstone growled, looking to Zeolite to find him rocketing towards him, roaring in anger and pulling back one fist, slamming it into Bloodstone and sending him exploding back across the dirt.

Bloodstone struggled from the crater, blood running from his nose.

 _"Don't let this kill that light of yours, alright?"_

Zeolite's breathing got kind of funny for a moment, his hands clenching into tight fists.

Zeolite jumped back, Bloodstone's scythe sticking into the ground where he was a moment ago.

Zeolite back flipped under another slash, landing on one hand and kicking up into Bloodstone's chin, sending him back through the air as he landed back on his feet, shooting after Bloodstone and pulling back one claw.

He stabbed through Bloodstone's Gem, pulling back and sliding to a stop, watching as Bloodstone's body flew forward, exploding into a wall of rubble.

Bloodstone panted, pulling himself from the pile of rubble.

Bloodstone snarled, glaring at Zeolite.

"You... You coward! You fight me in a weakened state! If I was at my full power I would-"

Zeolite was suddenly behind Bloodstone, Bloodstone's body falling into two.

"Don't call me a coward, Reaper..." Fear appeared in Bloodstone's eyes as he reformed, hearing Zeolite's tone.

"All of those soldiers you devoured just so you could survive. All of those you've killed, all you've hurt, just so you could survive. And then there was earlier, when you tried to escape on that ship." Zeolite crossed his arms.

"You are a pathetic waste of space who should have died a long, long time ago." Zeolite looked over his shoulder at Bloodstone, hatred in his eyes.

"But cowards like you always find a way to survive."

Bloodstone jumped back, blasting a gigantic wave of black at Zeolite.

"You run and you hide and you use people like shields." Bloodstone's eyes widened, Zeolite behind him as he skidded to a stop, unscathed by the blast.

"Shut up!" Bloodstone spun around, slashing at Zeolite, who held up one claw, the scythe being stopped with a loud clang and a gust of wind.

"What's a matter?" Zeolite twisted his hand, catching the scythe blade in his claw and forcing it down to the side as he shot forward, ramming his fist through Bloodstone's stomach.

"Do you not like the feeling of your sins crawling on your back?" Zeolite smirked lightly, though that stream of tears remained.

He kicked Bloodstone, sending him flying back through the sky before he appeared above him, spinning down and slamming his heel down on the top of Bloodstone's skull, splitting it in two before crashing down through his Gem, exploding into a plume of dust as he crashed into the ground.

Zeolite jumped out from the smoke, watching as Bloodstone reformed, panting and glaring at him.

"Don't you talk down to me, you're nothing but trash!" Bloodstone blasted rapidly and erratically at Zeolite, who continued to dodge each blast with ease.

"You are beneath me!" Bloodstone roared as he blasted.

"A waste of space!" He used both hands as he fired at Zeolite, who continued to dodge with ease.

"I don't understand why those two ever wasted a second of time on yo-"

Bloodstone's eyes widened as blood spewed from his mouth and nose, Zeolite under him with Death God Slayer plunged deep into Bloodstone's stomach.

"You don't believe that." Zeolite pulled Death God Slayer from Bloodstone, who fell to his knees, holding his burning wound.

"We once believed in you, Bloodstone. Heh, me Hematite and Pyrite relied on you." Zeolite smiled lightly, the shadow of Hematite's cloak covering his eyes.

"Y'know, before uh... All this, Hematite said something to me." Zeolite smiled lightly.

"He told me that no matter what, no matter how bad of a situation we were in, even if we couldn't protect each other, you'd protect us." Zeolite laughed lightly.

"He actually... He actually said that no matter what bad things you'd done in the past, when push came to shove you'd... You'd be our hero." Zeolite's laughter was shaky, but it got louder anyway.

"Well push sure as hell came to shove, and you sure as hell aren't our hero." Zeolite's claws glowed lightly as Bloodstone stood, the flames on his wound slowly fading.

"I never really saw me taking the part." Zeolite shrugged, glancing to the side before looking back to Bloodstone.

"Yet here we are."

"... I..." Bloodstone was at a lose for words.

"Bloodstone, I don't know if we could somehow make it work for what you've done, but the kid had something is his eyes that told me he wanted to give you a second chance." Zeolite said, and Bloodstone's eyes widened.

"And... I guess a piece of me really wants it to." Zeolite smiled. "I mean, without you, I'm all alone."

"Zeolite... What are you saying..?" Bloodstone asked skeptically.

"Well, I guess I'm just asking you to lay down your weapon, and make my job a lot easier." Zeolite held his arms out to the sides, his claws disappearing.

Bloodstone stood speechless, staring at Zeolite.

 _What an idiot..._

"You're... You're going to give me another chance?" Bloodstone asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Well, Pyrite did ask me to look after you, didn't she?" Zeolite arched a brow at him. "C'mon, maybe a hug can fix this."

"..." Bloodstone's scythe disappeared.

"Heh, there we go." Zeolite closed his eyes, smiling.

Bloodstone slowly came into the hug, and when Zeolite couldn't see his face, a grin spread across it.

But just as Bloodstone was about to blast through Zeolite's back, Zeolite's grip tightened to a bear hug.

The music slowed down as memories flashed before Zeolite's eyes, Zeolite gritting his teeth. Tears spilled from his eyes.

"Geeeeeeeeeeeettttt!" Zeolite suddenly bent backwards, Bloodstone's eyes widening as he was suplexed.

"DUNKED ON!"

Zeolite slammed Bloodstone gem first into the ground, which exploded under him, creating a massive crater and throwing a plume of dust into the air!

Zeolite jumped from the dust, glaring into it as it cleared, watching as Bloodstone reformed.

"As if I'd ever let you keep living." Zeolite said, Bloodstone glaring up at him.

"Heheheh... I guess I really didn't expect that of you, Zeolite..." Bloodstone grinned.

"I'm finally starting to rub off on you."

Zeolite frowned, claws reappearing as Bloodstone's scythe reappeared.

Bloodstone shot off at Zeolite, swinging rapidly at him, Zeolite ducking and dodging around every hit.

"Why! Won't! You! Just! Stand! Still?!" Bloodstone swung down, and Zeolite reached up, stopping the scythe by letting it pierce the palm of his right hand.

"For the same reason you won't stop struggling." Zeolite shot forward, ramming his claw through Bloodstone's chest.

"If I do, I die."

Bloodstone stumbled back, and Zeolite shot forward, ramming one knee into his face and sending him exploding back.

Bloodstone flipped and skidded across the ground as a white flash caught up with him, jumping over him and landing behind him, pulling back one claw and stabbing it through his gem, slashing him in two and sending him scattering in gem shards through the air.

The shards came back together, and Zeolite waited as they did.

Bloodstone panted, stumbling slightly as Zeolite shot at him again, slashing by him before slashing back, cutting past him again and again.

Bloodstone as thrown to the side with each attack, Zeolite shooting from behind and cutting open his side before flipping, sliding to a stop on both feet and one hand, holding his claw out to the side as he shot back at Bloodstone, stabbing forward and through his Gem.

"D-don't you get it..? Even if you do kill me..." Bloodstone reformed slowly. "It won't fix anything! Hematite won't come back! Pyrite won't come back! You're going to be all alone, no matter what!" Bloodstone laughed, glaring at Zeolite out of the corner of his eye with a glowing red eye.

Zeolite stood there, gritting his teeth.

Bloodstone threw his head back in his laughter, blood seeping from one of his eyes.

"Why don't you drop this high and mighty act?!" Bloodstone grinned. "Deep down, you're just like me! You're sick and twisted, and you enjoy this just like I enjoyed cutting down that useless-"

Bloodstone's laughter stopped, his eyes widening as a claw rammed itself through his Gem.

"Who are you?!" Zeolite snapped, tears falling from his eyes as he kicked Bloodstone down.

"What have you done with him?! The Bloodstone I knew would never do this!" Zeolite couldn't contain himself anymore.

"What made you do this?!" Zeolite called, snapping his eyes shut for a moment to blink away the tears.

"I refuse to believe the world is just like this! I refuse to believe that this can just happen!" Zeolite grabbed Bloodstone by the collar.

"What did we do to deserve what you did?!" Zeolite demanded to know.

"... You made me weak." Bloodstone said coldly, suddenly pressing his hand to Zeolite's chest, firing a wave of black!

Zeolite's eyes widened, blood pouring from the gaping hole in his chest as he stumbled back, holding his wound.

Zeolite's mouth was agape in shock as he leaned back against a wall, his blood painting it.

"Ahah... Ahahah... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Bloodstone laughed, first relieved and then psychotic. The music faded out.

Zeolite slid down the wall, his blood making a line down it as he did. His eyes were wide, tears spilling from them as he sat dumbstruck.

"P-Pyrite... Hematite..." Zeolite held his wound, feeling his grip on his physical form loosening.

"Bloodstone..."

Bloodstone watched, waiting for him to disappear.

"I-... I'm sorry... I just... I couldn't do it... I'm..." Zeolite leaned his head back against the wall, breathing uneven.

"I'm not strong enough..."

Zeolite's eyes slowly closed, blood dripping from his mouth as he gripped onto Hematite's cloak.

"I... I'll see you soon, okay..? Heh... Please don't be mad..."

Bloodstone grinned, eye twitching ever so slightly as he rose one hand to Zeolite, an orb of black appearing in his palm.

"Time for me to cut the last tie." Bloodstone's grin was from ear to ear, blood seeping from his right eye and mouth.

"Huh, so that's what rock bottom looks like."

Bloodstone looked over his shoulder, eyes widening in horror at the voice. _Megalovania_ by _Toby Fox_ began playing.

"I guess it was pretty lazy of me to give my job to Zeolite, huh?" Hematite grabbed his blades, pulling them from their sheathes.

"... N-no... I... I killed you..!" Bloodstone backed up slowly. "You can't be here!"

"Sure I can." Hematite was suddenly leaning back to back with Bloodstone.

Bloodstone seemed to be hyperventilating.

 _"I want to kill you over and over again."_

 _"Die die die..."_

 _"I'm going to drag you to hell, Reaper."_

Bloodstone jumped away, Hematite no where to be seen.

"What the hell is this?! Where are you hiding?!" Bloodstone looked around frantically.

"Boo." Hematite slashed at Bloodstone, who ducked, the blade swinging over him.

"STAY AWAY!" Bloodstone jumped back, memories of nightmares he'd repressed coming up.

"What is he..?" Zeolite looked up, one eye closed as they suddenly found the strength to hold on.

"What is he dodging?" Zeolite wondered, watching Bloodstone jump and dodge around nothing.

Zeolite almost felt a presence. It seemed to be radiating from the blade on his lower back, and as he pulled it off of his back and looked at it, he realized it was glowing.

"How on earth..?" Zeolite could almost see the outline of what a delusional Bloodstone was dodging.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Bloodstone watched as the phantom shot around him at lightning speed, much to his horror.

"Aw, what's the matter?" Hematite grinned, a shifting outline of him being seen in the waves of him shooting around.

"Don't tell me you're scared of me." Hematite's grin darkened.

"I am your friend, aren't I..?"

"STOP!" Bloodstone yelled, stepping back in fear as he blasted at the phantom.

"Heheheheh..." Hematite stood behind Bloodstone, hair covering his eyes.

Bloodstone jumped back, hyperventilating as he held his scythe with both shaking hands.

"Why, Reaper, you look like you've seen a ghost." Hematite twirled his blades, staring through Bloodstone.

* * *

 _How... How can this be..?_ Zeolite asked himself, beginning to make out the phantom even more.

 ** _Hey, Zeolite, I need you to listen._**

 _?! H-... Hema...  
_

 ** _Heh, I missed you too. But that's not what's important. Look, the only reason I can step in here is because Bloodstone isn't mentally stable. I can't actually hit him, I can just scare the crap out of him._**

 _Hematite... How are you..?  
_

 ** _Zeolite, I really need you to focus. _**

_R-right... But what can I do? I'm barely able to keep from going back into my Gem, I can't fight Bloodstone.  
_

 ** _Heh, all I need you to do is draw that sword._**

Zeolite nodded, slowly pulling the sheath off of the sword.

A glowing light burst into the air, and Bloodstone watched as Hematite's phantom along with his shards were sucked towards Zeolite.

"What are you doing?! What's happening?!" Bloodstone snapped, watching as the shards and soul hit Zeolite at the same time, a glowing light overtaking the gloom of the Gem Utopia.

Bloodstone threw up his arms in defense, watching as the light faded.

"..." Zeolite stepped slowly from the dying bright light, silver shards now stuck in his chest as the hood to Hematite's cloak was down, Hematite's blades on his back.

His left eye was glowing silver as his right glowed white, Death God Slayer in his hand.

"W-who... No, what are you?!" Bloodstone stepped back.

"... Hm." Zeolite said after an everlasting silence. "That's a good question."

"I guess one could call me Retribution." Zeolite began walking towards Bloodstone, who shook his head, stepping back.

"You... You stay the hell away from me!"

"Nah, I don't think I will." Zeolite grinned. "Not for someone like you..." Zeolite's voice was doubled with Hematite's.

 ** _"Not for a Dirty Brother Killer."_**

 _Megalotrousle_ by _SharaX (Original by Toby Fox)_ began playing as _Megalovania_ faded out, and Zeolite took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

Bloodstone took this opportunity, roaring as he shot forward, pulling back his scythe.

His scythe shattered as he swung down, and Zeolite stood behind him as he fell to shards.

"Heh, not even gonna let me take it all in, huh?" Zeolite smirked over his shoulder at Bloodstone, who was reforming.

"Alright, fine, if you're that eager..."

Bloodstone was being kicked into the air in an instant, Zeolite appearing over him and pulling up his fists, conjoining them and slamming them down on Bloodstone's skull, a shock wave exploding across the Gem Utopia and knocking all of the buildings that remained up down in one fell swoop.

"So I can see what it looks like, but I gotta ask." Zeolite held up one palm, silver and white energy mixing in it.

"What does rock bottom feel like, Reaper?"

Bloodstone jumped and dodged around each blast as best he could, running across the rubble that exploded around him.

A beam shot through his chest, making him stumble before several more rammed into him, obliterating him again and again.

Zeolite appeared next to Bloodstone, who was in the midst of reforming.

Zeolite pulled back his leg, slamming it into Bloodstone's side just as he reformed, throwing him into the air.

He shot up after him, slashing past him and landing, holding both of Hematite's blades out to the side as Bloodstone fell to pieces behind him.

"T-this... This can't be happening..." Bloodstone said, panting for breath as he glared at Zeolite over his shoulder.

"Heh, I remember saying that while watching Pyrite die." Zeolite held out one hand, an orb of silver and white energy appearing in it.

"Funny how coincidences work, huh?"

With a boom, there was a crater exploding across the Gem Utopia.

Zeolite slowly lowered his palm, smoke coming off of it as he watched Bloodstone crawl weakly from the other end of the crater.

Zeolite appeared at his side, pulling back one leg and kicking him in the side, sending him rocketing into the air.

Zeolite appeared next to Bloodstone, elbowing him across the sky, where he appeared behind him once again, kicking him in the other direction before appearing behind him there, conjoining his fists over his head and slamming them down onto Bloodstone's skull, sending him exploding into the earth.

Bloodstone panted, his gem reforming as he slowly pushed himself up to his hands and knees.

"Damn it... I'm running low on lives..." Bloodstone coughed blood.

"So I've noticed." Zeolite said, suddenly standing over him.

Bloodstone jumped in surprise, quickly climbing to his knees before Zeolite yanked him up by the hair, pulling back one fist.

"Too bad, I kinda wanted to make this last." He slammed one fist into Bloodstone's face, dropping him as he did so, sending him back through the air.

He appeared above him, ramming one knee into his chest and sending him exploding back into the earth.

He stood, drawing Hematite's blade and stabbing through his Gem.

He waited for Bloodstone to reform, and he did it again. And again. And again.

After a few kills, Bloodstone weakly rose one hand to blast Zeolite.

A blade pierced through his hand as he reached up, making him yelp in pain.

"Did you really think that would work?" Zeolite leaned over him as he glared up at him.

"Z-Zeolite, wait! I-I... I'm willing to take up that offer of mercy now!" Bloodstone begged, and Zeolite's soaked hair covered his eyes from the rain.

"... Ha... Hahaha! Yeah, right." Zeolite lifted one foot into the air, stomping down on Bloodstone's Gem.

Zeolite drew Death God Slayer, fear appearing in Bloodstone's eyes.

"Like I'm gonna let you kill any more of my friends."Hematite's cloak covered Zeolite's eyes as he lifted Death God Slayer into the air, gritting his teeth.

Zeolite swung down, grinning.

"Zeolite, stop!"

Zeolite's blade stopped just before reached Bloodstone's gem, Bloodstone flinching, eyes clamped shut.

"Zeolite, didn't you hear him?" Steven called from the rubble pile above.

"Steven..!" Was all Zeolite could manage to say.

"Zeolite, you told me you wanted to give him a second chance!" Steven called down, and Zeolite looked between Bloodstone and Steven.

"Steven... You... You don't understand! He's only saying that because he's afraid... If... If I let him live, he'll destroy it all again..!" Zeolite had tears in his eyes as he pulled the blade back, the music fading out.

"I care about you all too much to see it happen again!"

As he swung down, a pink shield raced through the air, taking the slash and not even being scratched by Death God Slayer.

"Zeolite, please! This won't fix anything!" Steven slid down from the pile of rubble he was on on a giant shield, quickly running over to the two.

"Y-yes, he's right! Please, Zeolite, lets talk this out!" Bloodstone laughed nervously, yanking his hand free and crawling back away from Zeolite as Steven ran between them.

"Don't you remember what he did, Steven?! Jasper, Tiger, Hematite!" Zeolite said angrily.

"Well from the looks of it, you've still got Hematite with you, Zeolite." Steven pointed to the shards stuck in Zeolite's chest, and Zeolite's eyes widened, and he looked down.

"Hey, you did promise me you wouldn't let anything kill that light of yours, right?" Steven recognized Hematite's voice.

"... But... But what if he..."

"Well, hey, even then... We'll still be together, right?"

"... I-... I..." Steven could hear Zeolite sniffle.

Zeolite wiped tears away, but he still looked like a child as he cried, and Bloodstone watched with wide eyes.

Steven almost laughed lightly at the look Zeolite was pulling off, wiping tears away and sniffling.

Steven hugged Zeolite, who returned it, crying into his shirt.

"Heh... I knew that wasn't you, Zeolite..." Steven patted his back, noticing the swords strapped there.

"S-so... No one's gonna kill me..?" Bloodstone questioned.

"Well, Matrix, Howlite, Garnet, and... Well, everyone else will probably try, but I'm sure I can convince them to lay off." Steven smiled. "You'll probably be on probation for a long time though."

"... Why are you being so nice to me..?" Bloodstone asked, legitimately confused.

"Just kinda my thing." Steven shrugged.

"..." Bloodstone looked down.

 _Per... Perhaps this is a sign... Maybe this is supposed to be my second, and final, chance... Maybe... I was... Wrong..?_

Bloodstone's eyes widened. _Oh space Christ they're already getting to me..._

"Now c'mon you two!" Steven extended his hand to both of them. "Lets go home."

Bloodstone stared at his hand, and Steven made a pouting face.

"Bloodstone, a good gem would take my hand and walk with me back to the Warp Pad." Steven gave him an almost parental glare.

"Zeolite doesn't have to do it!"

"This isn't about Zeolite."

Bloodstone groaned, taking Steven's hand.

* * *

"So, anybody have any luck?" Howlite glanced around at the room of Gems, and they shook their heads.

"Well that's just great." Emerald rolled his eyes.

There was a moment of silence, and he looked slightly confused.

"Uh... Isn't the little hybrid bundle of joy supposed to jump in with something positive right about now?" Emerald looked around.

"Oh no." Amethyst shot up.

"You... You don't think he's with Bloodstone, do you..?!" Pearl looked over at her, eyes wide.

"Strong possibility." Garnet said calmly.

"Well then we've gotta-" Matrix was cut off, the Warp Pad activating.

"Hey guys!" Bloodstone stood behind Steven, looking down and still holding onto his hand, Zeolite crossing his arms as he kept a close eye on him.

"Steven!" Everyone had summoned their weapons in an instant, aiming them at Bloodstone, who hid behind Steven, gulping.

"Hey hey, calm down!" Steven said, holding his hands up. "He's not gonna hurt anybody else!"

"Kid, you cannot be serious!" Howlite said, but Steven shook his head.

"Hey, I spared you, didn't I?" Steven arched a brow at him.

"Yes, and that was a dumb move!" Howlite said.

"Aw come on, he's just scared." Steven smiled back at Bloodstone.

"From what Zeolite's told me... Bloodstone's just been scared. He's only ever been capable of hurting... If we just show him what it's like to love and protect someone, maybe he'll come around." Steven smiled.

"Smh... As if he didn't know what that was like before..." Zeolite muttered under his breath.

"Kid, even you should know that someone like him just won't come around. Eventually, he'll betray us all to survive." Matrix said, holding his spear tight in one hand.

"Bloodstone, isn't there something you should say to all of them?" Steven said, and Bloodstone looked confused.

"Uh..."

"Something that might... I don't know, prove to them that you're willing to change?"

"Uh... I submit?"

"No."

"I won't kill you?"

"Try again."

"I won't hurt you?"

"... No, it starts with an s."

"... Oh!" Bloodstone's eyes widened. "I... I'm... Uh..." Bloodstone almost seemed to be quite literally choking on his words.

"I-... I'm..." Bloodstone hit himself in the chest a few times. "I'm... Sssssssssss... Sooooor..."

"Oh for God's sake..." Howlite pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Slorry? Srrory. Strowy..."

"It's not difficult!" Zeolite groaned.

"I'm... Sorry..?" It seemed to hurt Bloodstone just to say.

"Well that was convincing." Emerald rolled his eyes.

"I... Can promise you that I'm trying." Bloodstone crossed his arms, looking to the side.

"..." Matrix stared at him from across the room, eyes narrowed.

"... Uh..." Bloodstone took a step back as Matrix began walking across the room, gulping.

"Bloodstone." Matrix said, hands clenched tightly into fists.

"U-uh..." Bloodstone felt sweat forming on his face.

"Steven seems to think you can change. I disagree, but he'd be pretty mad if I just killed you on the spot. So instead I'll give you a warning." Matrix pointed his spear forward at Bloodstone's face.

"If you touch a single hair on ANYTHING'S head, whether it be a small dog or one of us, I will find you, and I will kill you. That is a promise." Matrix returned the spear to his eye, and Bloodstone nodded, everyone putting their weapons away.

"Good." Garnet said. "Now sit in the corner."

"Wait, what?!"

"Well I'm not just gonna let you go around town doing whatever you want." Garnet pushed up her shades. "After a little while in time out, we'll see what we can do." Garnet crossed her arms.

"So you're all... Really not gonna kill me?" Bloodstone looked around between them.

"I never agreed to that." Howlite's metal maw appeared as he spoke, but Lapis looked over at him, glaring lightly.

"Howlite." She said, and Howlite grumbled, his metal maw disappearing.

"Well... If that's out of the way... Zeolite, the hell happened to you?" Emerald looked over to Zeolite.

"Hm? Oh..! Uh..." Zeolite put a hand over Hematite's shards. "Long story..?"

"... Unhuh." Emerald's eyes narrowed.

"Well the lights are on, so they should be here." Everyone looked to the door at the sound of a voice.

"So... What should I say?"

Connie pushed open the door. "Let's find out-... Uh..." Connie immediately looked to Bloodstone, whose eyes shifted to the right.

In an instant, she was pushed behind 107, who held out one arm to Bloodstone, left eye glowing green as Bloodstone was suddenly lifted into the air.

"Oh shi-" Emerald was cut off by the sound of Bloodstone being slammed through the walls of Steven's home.

"I do not know how you managed to sneak up behind all of the Gems, but I will not let you hurt anyone here!" 107 said, Emerald and Amazonite rushing over to him, everyone else too shocked to say a word.

"107, calm down!" Emerald said, desperately trying to lower 107's arm. "He's not gonna hurt us, calm down!"

"W-what?!" 107 asked, his movements slowing, Bloodstone being dropped.

Bloodstone growled as he rubbed his Gem, wincing one eye shut as he glared at 107.

"He won't hurt anyone else, so long as you don't provoke hi-" Before Amazonite could finish her sentence, 107 was exploding back through the wall.

"I have had ENOUGH surprises for one day!" Bloodstone's scythe appeared in hand, and 107 stood from his crater, wiping blood from his lip.

"Bloodstone, wai-" Howlite stopped Steven, watching.

"Lets just... Let 'em fight for a minute or two." Howlite said, and Steven shot a glare at him.

"... Kid, if you let me have this, I will personally step in before anyone gets too... Dead." Howlite pleaded.

"... Fine... But you have to give me a hug."

"Fi-... Wait, what?!"

Bloodstone shot off at 107, pulling back his scythe and swinging, 107 dodging around swing after swing, suddenly reaching out and grabbing Bloodstone in green, throwing him back across the beach.

Bloodstone flipped and skidded, sliding on his feet before slamming back first into a rock.

He groaned, looking up to see 107's blaster looming over him.

He back flipped over the rock, which was obliterated in the beam.

He looked up, seeing 107 shoot from the smoke and pull back his protoblade, slicing at him from the side, watching as it was blocked by Bloodstone's scythe.

He pulled back one fist, throwing it forward into 107's face, sending him exploding back across the sand.

107 panted, pushing himself up from the crater, looking up to see a black beam racing down towards him.

He jumped to the side, the beam exploding into the earth as he landed on his blaster, being flown into the air at Bloodstone.

Bloodstone fired rapidly at him, and he dodged each blast, keeping a tight grip on his blaster.

He jumped off as he reached Bloodstone, swinging at him. Bloodstone moved to the side, but as he did, he was hit directly with a blast that sent him exploding into the water.

Bloodstone rose from the water, blood dripping from his mouth. He'd sustained too many injuries earlier.

107 held out one hand, Bloodstone immediately lighting up in green as he was send exploding through the water and into the beach, 107 whipping his arm back and forth as he slammed Bloodstone against any object he could find.

"I don't care... How strong you are..!" 107 panted, still exhausted from carrying the two ships here.

"When fighting me, strength means nothing!" 107's slams slowed, and he hunched slightly, sweat dripping off of him.

"I-" Smash.

"Don't-" Slam.

"Want-" Crash.

"To fight-" Splash.

"You!"

107 dropped Bloodstone, falling to his knees and panting heavily.

Bloodstone groaned, crawling from the water.

"..." Garnet stared down at him, and he looked up at her, groaning.

"Aw c'mon, he started it..." Bloodstone tried to get to his feet, only succeeding in face planting.

"... I'll let it slide this time." Garnet said.

"So, I'm guessing you wanna join too?" Howlite crossed his arms as he looked down at 107.

"I... I'm hoping I made a good first impression..?" 107 winced one eye shut.

"... Eyup." Howlite helped him up, and Emerald and Amazonite immediately rushed over.

Zeolite watched from the deck, before looking down, turning and walking away.

* * *

"I... I can't believe this all actually worked out..." Zeolite said.

"Yeah." Hematite's voice responded. "It's a good thing our situations weren't reversed, I would have mopped the floor with him even without your intervening. And I know I wouldn't have given that kid enough time to show up to stop me."

"... Heh, yeah..." Zeolite looked down. "Uh... Hematite..?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you... Are you having as much trouble as I am forgiving him?"

"..."

"You... You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"... Honestly, I don't forgive him. What he did can't be forgiven. But if it'll make everyone else happy- if it'll make you happy, I'll pretend."

"... Hematite, do you hate Bloodstone?"

"..." Hematite sighed. "You sure are talkative today."

"Well we've got some catching up to do... I-... We've been apart for awhile..." Zeolite looked down.

"Hey, hey. Stop with the teary eye... Thing. I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere."

"... Yeah... Heh, I missed you..."

"I uh... I missed you too."

"I wish I could give you a hug or something..."

"Well I'm kind of literally part of you right now. I think we're in a constant state of above hug."

"... You've got a response for everything, huh?"

"Not everything. Heh, if you'd died, I don't know what I would've done."

"Well, we don't have to think about that." Zeolite looked up.

"It's all gonna get better. We're all gonna be together, like old times..." Zeolite smiled, tears forming in his eyes.

"... Heh." Hematite would have smiled sadly if he had the body to do so.

"Yeah..."

* * *

Hematite's eyes snapped open, and he looked around.

Steven's living room, dark.

No Zeolite. No Bloodstone.

He felt that horrible pain rising in his chest once again as he sat up, looking at Bloodstone's scythe, which was leaned against the foot of the couch, still wrapped in his cloak.

"What... What kind of sick game are you playing..?" Hematite asked, watching as the scythe blade seemed to glow under the cloak.

"Showing me some false happy ending... What's your game?!" Hematite stood, grabbing the scythe.

"I know you can hear me..." He told the scythe, his voice shaking slightly.

"Stop playing games with me and go back to the hell I sent you to..." Hematite lowered his head.

"Leave me to the one I'm in..."

"Hematite..?" Steven rubbed his eye sleepily as he stepped down from the stairs to his bed.

"O-oh, Steven!" Hematite held the scythe behind his back, standing up straight. "What are... What are you doing awake?"

"Your yelling woke me up..." Steven said, yawning.

"O-oh... Sorry... I just uh..." Hematite's eyes darted to the side.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Steven asked.

"... No, it was actually a pretty good one... Heh..." Hematite put a hand over his Gem.

"C'mon kid, you need to go back to bed." Hematite pointed to Steven's bed, but Steven preceded to make grabby hands at Hematite.

"Carry me."

"Kid, you're fourteen-"

"But I'm tired and you woke me up and-"

"Fine, geez." Hematite set the scythe down, picking Steven up and setting him on his shoulders, where he preceded to set his head down, immediately falling asleep.

"Heh..." Hematite smiled lightly as he looked up at Steven, a short flash of memories hitting him.

As he walked up the steps to Steven's bed, he glanced over at Bloodstone's scythe, his eyes narrowing.

 ** _Why won't you just leave me alone..?_**

* * *

 **And there, after two week, is the happy ending that could have been! And more trauma for Hematite.  
**

 **Hooray..?**

 **Again, I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. But with school and my other story and my attempts at beating Sans in Undertale, emphasis on ATTEMPTS, I've just kinda been avoiding this chapter.**

 **Honestly, I didn't have much muse for this chapter, but I do have some muse for the next few chapters after it, which will include things like character development, new characters, a certain bunch of Gems finally getting to Earth, and what will probably be next chapter: The hunt for the Slinker.**

 **That's a probably because I have a few other ideas for what I might do next chapter, one of which I forgot but I will hopefully remember soon.**

 **but as for the reason I've disappeared from this story... Well, the Undertale one kinda seems to appreciate me more. I mean, after a little push, they were all more than willing to give plenty of reviews.**

 **Like, more than what I get here per chapter.**

 **Meanwhile here it seems like people have been becoming less and less willing to review.**

 **I don't have much else to say, just a possibly empty promise that I will update soon.**

 **Just keep in mind that juggling two stories and my real life is kinda difficult.**

 **But please remember that so long as I get feedback I will NOT abandon this story. There's just a feeling I get when typing it that I don't get from anything else.**

 **So please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	66. Chapter 65: The Slinker

**Thanks go to Guest, S U Fan, StoryWriter2003, KillJoyGem, Kagehime-sama53, Guest, Lover Of Anime 1, Guest, Guest, Steven Quartz, S U fan, Guest, A big fan, and Guest.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

Hematite sat at the side of Steven's bed, looking back at him as he slept.

"..." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He didn't want to go back to sleep.

Gems didn't need sleep, but they did feel exhaustion, and sleep was supposed to fix that. And usually it did.

 _It's getting worse..._ Hematite thought, resting his head on his hand, his elbow propped up on his knee as he hunched slightly.

He closed his eyes for a moment, sighing once more.

His eyes snapped open to the sound of the temple door opening, and he glanced over to see Pearl entering the room.

She looked to the couch were Hematite should have been, looking to be slightly confused before looking up, seeing him looking back down at her in silence.

She noticed the silver glow coming from his eyes, and motioned for him to come outside, so they wouldn't wake Steven.

"I thought you'd be asleep." She began.

"I had a dream." Hematite shrugged. "Guess it woke me up."

"I remember the last time I had a dream..." Pearl glanced to the side, remembering that horrifying Rose dream.

She still found making eye contact with Greg difficult...

"It must have been horrible." Pearl said, and Hematite laughed lightly.

"Yeah... Uh, pretty... Unusual." Hematite glanced to the side.

"So why were you up at Steven's bed?" Pearl arched a brow at him.

"Well after I woke up, I guess something I did accidentally woke up the kid. He made me carry him back to bed." Hematite shrugged. "I decided to sit for awhile."

"... What kind of dream did you have, Hematite?"

"Let's... get off of this subject." Hematite's tired eyes darted to the side.

Pearl sighed. "Alright, fine. I won't nag you, there are more important things to do." Pearl rolled her eyes.

"I came for your help. You see, a Gem Monster has been on the loose in the Temple for... Awhile..." Pearl almost looked ashamed to admit this.

"How long is awhile?"

"Well uh... You know when Matrix and Peridot first came to earth?"

"Oh my Space God..." Hematite pinched the bridge of his nose.

"It's very evasive!" Pearl snapped, and Hematite rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure." Hematite said, before looking over to the apartments.

"Well, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to help hunt that thing, but I know two Gems who would be pretty good for the job." Hematite nodded.

"Really? Who-... You don't mean..?" Pearl arched a brow at Hematite.

"Who else would be able to find this thing? I mean, if it's eluded you all for so long." Hematite said with a smirk, Pearl shooting him a glare.

"But... Those two don't exactly work well together."

"What are you talking about? We've all seen how effective their fusion is."

"Well, yes, but that's only when literally everything is at risk. Other than that, those two won't even be in the same room with one another."

"Well, I can be pretty persuasive." Hematite said, crossing his arms.

"... Fine, but they better not end up fighting in the Temple. That place is sacred, you know." Pearl crossed her arms.

"Yes, that's why you've let it become infested with Gem Monsters." Hematite shook his head, laughing to himself as Pearl glared, and he walked away towards the apartments.

* * *

"I can't believe you woke me up for this crap..." Matrix rubbed his eye, using a spear to help himself stay up.

"Quit your whining. We don't need sleep anyway." Hematite had his hands in his pockets as they looked around the city, the sun rising.

"Where is that albino? If I'm getting dragged into this-..." Matrix yawned. "So are they."

"Come to think of it... I haven't seen Howlite in a few days." Hematite held his chin.

"You don't think he went rouge again, do you?" Matrix asked.

"Hm... No, Howlite won't do that anymore. He's grown past trying to escape." Hematite said, and Matrix laughed lightly.

It was then that they spotted 107 and Emerald, helping in the rebuilding of It's A Wash.

"Hello." 107 greeted simply, not looking up from his work as they came up.

"Have any of you seen Howlite?" Matrix asked, and Emerald shook his head.

"Last I saw him, he was talkin' to the kid a few days ago." Emerald attempted to lift a cinder block, grunting as he did so before Amazonite walked from the other side of the building, taking it in one hand and walking it back to the wall.

"Steven most likely knows where he is. If I had to guess, Steven has him on some task that he is keeping on the 'down-low' as he does not want to show whatever kindness this job requires." 107 said, tendrils hooking him to a car battery as he used his telekinesis to lift a cinder block into place.

"... That makes sense..." Matrix said, still unsure of how to act around this new Gem.

"I am glad to have been of assistance." 107 placed his hands in his pockets.

* * *

"Uh..." Steven looked to the side, Hematite and Matrix staring down at him.

"Steven, where is he?" Matrix crossed his arms, and Steven sighed.

"... C'mon." Steven motioned for them to follow, and they shrugged, doing so.

Steven walked them outside of the house, around the temple, to the other side of the beach.

They came to a large boulder, and Steven pushed against it, pushing it slightly.

Hematite and Matrix joined in, and the boulder was moved aside, showing a cave.

"Iolite!" They heard someone call in the cave.

"Where did they go..?"

Hematite and Matrix glanced at one another, before glancing to Steven, who shrugged nervously, continuing on.

"Calm down Jade, I'm sure they're around here somewhere..." Howlite said, raising a hand dismissively to the Centipeedle.

The Centipeedle gave a concerned hiss, and Howlite looked almost nervous.

"I know, I know! If they get hurt..." Howlite shook slightly, pushing a rock aside.

"If the Gems find them, they'll- Ah!" Howlite jumped, turning to see Matrix, Hematite, and Steven standing there.

"Steven, I told you not to let them in here!" Howlite scolded, and Steven rubbed the back of his head.

"I know, but-"

"Is that a corrupt Gem?!" Matrix said, Lignite's stave quickly appearing in his hand as he aimed it at the Centipeedle, who hissed, jumping back.

Howlite pushed the stave aside, glaring at Matrix. "Put your weapons away, numb skull! What are you trying to do, cause a flashback?!" Howlite shoved Matrix back, Matrix surprised as his weapon disappeared.

"It's alright, I'm not gonna let them hurt you..." Howlite knelt before the Centipeedle, smiling genuinely as he slowly reached out to them.

The Centipeedle stopped shaking, letting Howlite's hand touch their head.

Howlite sighed in relief, before standing, looking back to the others. "The hell are you thinking?!" He yelled in a whisper.

"What am I thinking?! What are you thinking?!" Matrix questioned. "What are you doing with a corrupt Gem hiding in a cave?!"

"More than any of you idiots are capable, that's for sure!" Howlite said, before taking a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Look, a few days ago Steven asked me to help him out with something. He said that since I was kind of... A master with corruption, that I could help him fix the Gems in the temple." Howlite crossed his arms.

"Why I accepted is none of your damn business." Howlite looked to the side, knowing they were going to ask the question.

"Apparently he'd already made some progress with this one. So... We snuck into the temple through this little hole of mine, which I just happened to have made awhile back, and took Ja-... Er, the uh... Centipeedle's gem, and brought her- er, them, here." Howlite looked over his shoulder at the Centipeedle, who was eating chaps out of Steven's hands.

"So, for the past couple days I've been spending night and day with them, trying to get them out of this state." Howlite sighed, smiling lightly.

"It's... A work in process."

"But yesterday, I stumbled across another corrupt Gem, an Iolite. They were in the form of some kind of plant, and I managed to get them to calm down. I took them back here, and after just closing my eyes for a minute, they disappeared." Howlite seemed slightly worried, looking around.

"I think I might know where they went." Hematite stared down a hole in the ground, which was previously covered by a large stone.

"Oh no..." Howlite quickly came up to the hole, gulping.

"Pearl said she and the others found a gem similar to your description in the temple. That's probably where Iolite is now." Matrix said, and Howlite's eyes widened.

"They're gonna hurt them! We have to find them, if they were to get smashed, I'd-...Er..." Everyone stared at Howlite with wide eyes.

Howlite took a deep breath. "Steven, watch Jade. You two, come with me. We're gonna find Iolite." Howlite said, and Steven nodded, petting the Centipeedle.

* * *

"Oh, good. You found him." Pearl said, standing with Amethyst and Garnet outside of the temple door.

"We'll divide into teams of two." Pearl said. "Matrix and Howlite, Amethyst and Garnet, and Hematite and I." Pearl said.

"Hematite's coming with me." Garnet said, crossing her arms.

"Hm?" Hematite looked over at her, arching a brow.

"Uh... Alright, I suppose who goes with who doesn't really matter." Pearl was slightly confused by Garnet's decision, but didn't have any objections.

"Good." Garnet opened the door, motioning for Hematite to follow her into the burning room.

The door closed behind them, and Pearl proceeded to open the door to her room, motioning for Howlite and Matrix to enter.

"Amethyst and I will hunt through Amethyst's mess." Pearl said.

"... You just want the chance to clean it that bad, huh?" Amethyst glanced over at Pearl, who looked to the side.

"Why, I have no idea what you're talking about."

The door closed behind Matrix and Howlite, and they looked around.

"So... Where do we start?" Matrix glanced over, seeing Howlite was already gone.

"..." Matrix sighed. "Of course."

* * *

"So, is there any particular reason you wanted to search with me?" Hematite asked as he and Garnet walked around the Burning Room.

"Is there any particular reason you keep that scythe with you?" Garnet asked, and Hematite glanced to the scythe strapped to his back.

"Yes."

"And that's why I wanted to speak with you."

"Oh goody." Hematite glanced to the side. "Look, if you're gonna try to make me get rid of it, I'm not going to-"

"I don't care if you keep it. I just want you to be aware of what it's doing to you." Garnet said.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine." Hematite's eyes narrowed.

"You shouldn't lie to people who already know the truth, Hematite." Garnet pushed up her shades.

"... Let's change the subject..."

"No."

"... Sigh..."

* * *

"Howlite?" Matrix called as he stepped through the water.

"Howlite, you idiot, get out here." Matrix said, irritated as he was left behind.

"Be quiet." Howlite told him, popping out from behind a water pillar. "You don't want to startle them if they're around here."

"Why do you care?" Matrix arched a brow at him.

"None of your damn business why I care." Howlite froze the water, sliding down a stream of it into another part of the temple, Matrix following, finding it a bit more difficult to balance on it.

"What? Did you know them before this or something?" Matrix stumbled as he tried to shrug, holding his hands out to the side.

"Nope. Not a damn clue who they were or are." Howlite placed his hands in his pockets, hopping off to a part of Amethyst's gigantic room.

"Then why do you care so much about their safety? I don't think you've put this much care into anything else." Matrix crossed his arms as he followed.

"That's not true, and again, none of your business." Howlite slouched slightly, frowning as he looked around.

"Okay, name one other thing." Matrix challenged.

"..." Howlite grit his teeth. "Okay..." His eye twitched slightly, and he suddenly turned to Matrix.

"Maybe this garbage rock, for one?! Maybe it's meat-bag inhabitants?! Maybe all of you idiots?!" Howlite snapped.

"What, you think I didn't do anything while you were napping in rubble while Bloodstone was beating the hell out of us?! Who do you think kept everyone from dying while you were gone?!" Howlite threw his hands down.

"Sure as hell wasn't you!" He poked Matrix in the chest. "So why don't you step off of that high horse of yours and stop assuming things about me before I wipe that stupid look off your face?!" Howlite panted heavily, face red as he glared at Matrix, who had shrunken under his rage.

"... Alright, geez... Sorry." Matrix rubbed his arm, Howlite glaring at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Lets just get back to work. Then I can get back to more work, while you ride off on that high horse of yours..." Howlite grit his teeth lightly.

"Hey, I apologized! What more do you want?" Matrix asked.

"You know what I want? You know what I want more than anything right now?" Howlite looked over at him, narrowing his eyes.

"What?"

Howlite's metal maw appeared, and Matrix's spear appeared in hand.

The two shot by one another, Howlite catching a vine in one hand as Matrix blocked one with his spear.

"I'll send you back into your Gem once this is over." Howlite glanced over his shoulder at Matrix as they stood back to back.

"We'll see." Matrix smirked lightly, letting go of his spear as the Slinker pulled on it, making it reel back as Matrix jumped forward at it.

Howlite took tight grip of the vine he held, grunting as he pulled the Slinker, throwing it over his shoulder and right over Matrix, who looked up in surprise as it went over his head.

Howlite let go of it in air, watching as it spun, managing to catch itself on some of the stalactites hanging from the ceiling.

It stabbed down at Howlite, who dodged to the left and right, ducking under one while keeping his hands in his pockets.

He reached up, catching a vine, which wrapped around his hand.

Howlite grunted, gritting his teeth as he struggled to keep himself from being pulled up, ice forming over his feet and keeping him stuck to the ground.

"Just. Calm. Down." He told the Slinker through gritted teeth.

"I'm not going to hurt you." The vine went further up his arm, wrapping up to his shoulder.

"But I might!" Matrix threw his spear, which struck one of the stalactites it had wrapped a vine around, making it fall and drag the Slinker down to earth with it.

"Matrix you idio-" Howlite was yanked into the air by the vine on his arm as the Slinker burrowed into the ground.

"You are so punched!" Howlite pointed to Matrix as he was yanked down into the hole, Matrix watching with wide eyes.

"... Well, that happened." Matrix said, Amethyst and Pearl running over.

"We heard fighting! What happened?" Pearl asked.

"The uh... The Slinker just kind of... Stole Howlite." Matrix said, eyes still wide.

"..." Pearl sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"You two tell Garnet and Hematite. I'll hunt down he Slinker." Matrix said, walking over to the hole it had went in through.

"Do you really think it's a good idea to go alone?" Amethyst asked. "Not that I wanna come with, that thing's poofed me enough."

"Meh, I'll be fine. I've dealt with worse. Like the person it stole, for example." And with that, Matrix was jumping into hole.

"You think they'll be okay?" Amethyst asked, and Pearl sighed.

"I couldn't tell you."

* * *

"So, why do you keep the scythe?" Garnet asked. "I wouldn't think you of all people would want any keep sakes from Bloodstone."

"I couldn't just leave it there, trust me." Hematite glanced back at the scythe on his back.

"Why's that?"

"This... It isn't just some plain old Gem Weapon. If it was, it would have disappeared with the Reaper. But this weapon... Well, lets just say there's a lot of Bloodstone in it." Hematite pulled the scythe from his back, looking at it.

"If I'd just left it there, and somebody else had picked it up... Well, it's my burden to bear."

* * *

"Okay, so now I think we can talk without getting interrupted." Howlite said, leaning against a rock as the Slinker loomed over him.

He back flipped, a vine shooting through the rock.

"This isn't very productive." Howlite dodged around stab after stab, hands in his pockets.

"Come on, I'm trying to help you." Howlite's eyes narrowed as he ducked under a stab, rolling to the side and avoiding another before jumping into the air, landing on the vine that shot under him.

"I'm-" Howlite was swung.

"A-" He was swung back and forth repeatedly.

"Friend." He was thrown off, spinning in air and landing on his feet, sliding back.

He sighed, watching as the Slinker rose it's vines into the air.

"You're just lashing out because you're scared." Howlite jumped back, the vines exploding into the ground in front of him.

"And I understand." Howlite jumped up, vines shooting up from the ground at him.

They grabbed him by the ankles, slamming him down into the ground.

"But I won't hurt you." Howlite laid motionless, hair covering his eyes as the vines loomed over him, ends sharp as they prepared to shoot down at him.

Only one came down, going through his arm, the rest remaining up in the air, as if the Slinker was hesitating.

"Because I know what it's like... Being scared and alone." The vines receded, and Howlite stood, blood running from his shoulder hole as he walked over to the Slinker, which pulled back away from him, as if afraid.

"It's... It's really scary, huh? In the dark... Buried..." Howlite's hair covered his eyes as he sat down before the Slinker.

Matrix climbed over a pile of junk, eyes widening as he saw Howlite and the Slinker sitting there, speaking.

"I remember that... I still have dreams about it, actually. Heh... I really relied on them, but when... When they started to uh... 'Malfunction', I got pretty scared." Howlite's hands clenched into fists in the dirt.

"All I could think about was how afraid I was to be alone... I mean, we were just stuck down there, in the dark. Our bodies and minds finished long before the whole thing we were made for, so while they experimented on us, we were still in the ground. Motionless."

"But we had each other, so it was fine." Howlite smiled lightly. "Until... Until they started to act strange." His smile became a frown.

"It's funny, I didn't actually even speak with them or see them for that matter, we just felt the energy we gave off. It was a strange connection, but a strong one no less." Howlite laughed lightly.

"But eventually... Their energy started to fade. I realized they were in pain." Howlite shook slightly.

"The experiments... Something was going wrong. Really wrong." Howlite didn't actually know if the Slinker could understand him, but it felt like someone was listening.

"I had to save them. If... If they left me alone down there... Oh god, how long would I be down there?" Howlite ran a hand through his hair. "I was terrified..."

"I felt that... _Thing_ rising from deep in my Gem. It said it could save us. It would keep us safe, it would save _them,_ it would keep _them_ safe." Howlite's hand clenched tighter on his head.

"I was so desperate, I-... I let it out... All of that power." Howlite smiled lightly. "I remember how much it hurt. For both of them- er, us, I guess."

"It broke from my Gem, it tore it's way out. And then it ate their Gem... It made something new from what it had from both of their -our, my- Gems. It... It made me." Howlite gripped the chest of his shirt, teeth clenched tightly together.

"They- we- I... Just wanted to help one another. No matter what it took, we both had to make it out of there..." Howlite reached out to the Slinker, placing one hand on it's head. It didn't pull away.

"So I get it. I know what it's like to be so terrified you'd let yourself become... A freak... Just to survive." Howlite smiled as the Slinker shrunk down, becoming a smaller version of itself, like the Centipeedle had.

Howlite laughed lightly, picking up the Slinker and letting it crawl around him, latching onto his back and wrapping around his shoulders, like some sort of backpack.

"And how long have you been there?" Howlite asked without turning around, Matrix jumping slightly.

"Howlite... I... Didn't know that you..." Matrix rubbed the back of his neck, looking down.

"Heh..." Howlite looked down. "You know what the funny part is? I don't remember either of them. Can't feel them. Can't remember what it was like to feel them." Howlite gripped the chest of his shirt once again.

"All I know is that it was warm... Which isn't something I feel often anymore." Howlite looked over his shoulder at Matrix.

"That's not a metaphor, either. I mean, it could serve as one, but I'm literally just cold all the time. It's one of the many reasons I'm kind of a prick." Howlite placed his hands in his pockets.

"Well... I guess I'll have to stop attacking you on it and uh... Try to understand you more..?" Matrix seemed to be questioning his own words.

"Heh, don't bother. It's... Nice having someone challenge me, rather than just roll their eyes or be afraid of me." Howlite smiled lightly.

"That I can do." Matrix put on that grin of his and Howlite looked over his shoulder at the Slinker.

"So... How are we gonna explain this?" Howlite arched a brow at the Slinker.

"Meh, I'm sure we'll think of something." Matrix shrugged.

* * *

"That's the Slinker?!" Hematite laughed, poking the Slinker's face.

"Yeah, you were right Pearl, this thing does look dangerous." Hematite laughed, and Pearl shot him a glare.

"It used to be bigger!" Pearl said, and Hematite laughed louder.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"It's so cute!" Steven said as Howlite set the Slinker down.

"Whatever the case, lets just bubble it and finally get this over with." Pearl summoned her spear, the Slinker taking a step back as Howlite and Steven stepped in front of it.

"Oh come on!" Amethyst rolled her eyes.

"If any of you try to poof this Gem I will personally bubble each and every one of you." Howlite said.

"Howlite, you cannot be seriou-"

"Ya ever been in a corrupt bubble, Pearl? It's pretty unsettling, I assure you." Howlite said, glaring at Pearl, who took a step back, weapon disappearing.

"But what are you going to do with it..?" Pearl asked, fearing the answer.

"Heal it, of course!" Howlite and Steven said in unison.

"It's uh... Kinda weird seeing you want to help something rather than kill it, Howlite." Amethyst said, Howlite just angrily grumbling in response.

"I'd just roll with it on this one, guys. Trust me." Matrix said.

Amethyst and Pearl looked to Garnet, who shrugged.

"Give them a chance. With Howlite helping, its not like Steven will get hurt." Garnet said. "... Probably."

Pearl sighed. "Fine. But I want to hear what happens everyday! And if Steven gets hurt, that's the end of it!"

"Fair enough." Howlite shrugged, picking up the Slinker again.

"You can heal yourself, right?" Howlite whispered to Steven who nodded.

 **"Good."**

* * *

 **I know, this chapter was kinda short. But, really, the other chapters have just been really long. That's because I had a lot to pack into them, but now that I don't have so much to put into each chapter, they'll probably be shorter.  
**

 **Anyway, I think I'm getting better at this whole updating thing. But then again I've had a break from school for the past five days so that probably contributed a little...**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **Oh, and I beat Sans!**

 **Well, I didn't kill him. I got to him falling asleep, and then I turned off the game and RESET.**

 **... I miss the fight.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	67. Chapter 66: Road Trip

**Thanks go to Guest, Kagehime-sama53, Guest, Lover of Anime 1, KillJoyGem, Guest, Totally . Dauntless201, Guest, Guest, A Big Fan, Guest, S U fan, Guest, and Guest.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

 _"Stop!"  
_

 _"What are you doing?!"_

 _"Coward!"_

 _"They're lying, don't you get it?!"_

 _"How could you do this?!"_

Citrine awoke with a yawn and a stretch, smiling lightly.

"Another beautiful day!" Leaving the screaming of his nightmares behind, he jumped up out of his bed.

He whistled as he walked down the hallway, hands in his pockets.

Pyrite looked over her shoulder as the door opened, watching as Citrine entered.

"There you are! I haven't seen you in days!" Pyrite said, pulling her hands from the hologram keyboard, turning in her chair to face Citrine.

"It was a _reeeaally_ good nap." Citrine smiled, jumping into the chair next to hers.

Pyrite groaned lightly. "Well, while you were sleeping, I was keeping track of everything!"

"Good for you!" Citrine gave a thumbs up. "... Why do you look so... Livid?"

"That's your job, Citrine!" She snapped. "I've been working for three days straight!"

Whenever she did go back to her room to sleep, she couldn't fall asleep due to Citrine's hysterical laughter through the wall. What was so funny, she would never know.

"What even is like 'a job' though?" Citrine used air quotes over the words 'a job'.

Pyrite's eye twitched as she glared at Citrine, standing from her chair in an attempt to look more intimidating.

It uh... Didn't work so well, as Citrine was still humming and bouncing in his chair.

"You alright? You look a little... Twitchy." Citrine stroked his imaginary beard. "Are you getting fidgety because we've been on the ship too long?"

"YOU-" Pyrite began to explode, looming over Citrine before he reached forward, tapping her nose with one finger.

"Boop." He said childishly, before continuing his bouncing and humming.

Pyrite looked like she was about to snap, before sighing, plopping down in her chair and burying her hands in her face.

"This is my life now..."

"Hey, don't look so down. In just a little while we'll be at Earth, we'll be home!" Citrine said optimistically.

"Can you just... Do something..? Anything? I'm so tired..." Pyrite asked, not looking up from her hands.

"Don't you worry about a thing." Citrine patted her shoulder, standing and walking over to a holo-pad.

He stepped onto it, and holograms of himself appeared throughout the ship.

"Attention!" He said, getting everyone's attention.

"Until we make it to Earth, Pyrite will be in charge of... Well, all the stuff I don't wanna do!"

Pyrite looked up from her hands, murder in her eyes as she glared at Citrine's back.

"There! I did it!" Citrine stepped back from the pad. "Aren'tcha proud'a me?"

Citrine gulped at the sound of her roar, watching as she jumped at him.

"Ow! Ow, god!" Citrine held his arms over his head as he was waked by her staff, running away as fast as he could.

"GET OUT! GO! I CANNOT DEAL WITH YOU RIGHT NOW!"

"Alright, fine! Just- Ow! Stop hitting me!" Citrine slammed the door as fast he could, sighing as he rubbed the bruises forming on his skin.

"Can never read her..." He muttered, rubbing his head.

He could hear her yell after hearing his words through the door, and he gulped, speed walking away from the door.

"Having trouble with the new girl?" Another Gem asked, arms crossed as she leaned against the wall.

"She's really fun to mess with." Citrine nodded, holding his chin.

"So it's more like you're causing her trouble." The second Gem asked, arching a brow at Citrine.

"Aquamarine, Carnelian, you two know me so well." Citrine said, despite not actually knowing them particularly well.

"... Why did you say our names like that?" Aquamarine arched a brow at Citrine.

"Yeah, it's kinda weird and exposition." Carnelian added.

Aquamarine had a thin build and was rather short, slightly shorter than Pearl and Lapis. She had light blue hair with a strange strand always curling up on her head, light cerulean colored skin, full lips and teal colored eyes. Her hair was short and wavy, with the exception of two strands that went passed her shoulders, her bangs neatly parted with the exception of a small portion in between her eyes. Her gem was located on her left thigh. Her usual wear was a sleeveless indigo and white colored mini dress with an open slit on the left side, held partially closed by two strings, a single ice blue legging on her right leg, and a thigh high on her left, and white boots.

Carnelian's build was that of a standard Quartz, she's big, but not Rose or Jasper big, more like taller than Garnet, but shorter than Rose. She had orange colored hair with red skin, full lips and brown eyes. Her hair was always kept in a messy ponytail that extended passed her waist, and very unkempt bangs. Her gem was located on her abdomen, at the bottom of her rib-cage. Her usual wear was a black crop top long sleeved vest, that revealed much of her midsection, dark maroon colored pants and dark brown boots.

"Well, honestly? Because Space God is lazy." Citrine shrugged, walking past them.

"... What?" Carnelian asked, confused.

"Don't bother. He's screwy, what he says doesn't make sense." Aquamarine waved a hand dismissively.

* * *

Pyrite groaned, placing her head down on the table before her.

She hadn't seen Citrine since she exploded at him yesterday, she'd been too busy to even leave this room.

She felt exhausted, which is why she stumbled slightly as she stumbled to the door that was knocked on.

She pressed the open button, and glared lightly at the Gem who stood in the doorway.

Citrine stared at her with puppy-dog eyes, frowning with his bottom lip puffed out.

"I'm sowwy." He said, and Pyrite sighed, putting a hand on her forehead.

"... Whatever, Citrine... I'm too tired to be angry." She hunched as she turned around, walking back to the control center.

"Yay!" Citrine said childishly, throwing his hands into the air before running, jumping over Pyrite and landing in his chair, putting his feet up.

Pyrite sighed, sitting down in her chair.

"... You alright? You look kinda tired." Citrine arched a brow at her.

"Keeping everything together here is a lot harder than one would expect." Pyrite said, bags under her eyes.

"Wow." Citrine had his hands behind his head as he leaned back.

"What?" Pyrite looked up at him.

"Didn't take you for a whiner, Pyrite." He closed his eyes.

"... THAT'S IT!" Pyrite shot up, Citrine opening one eye to look at her, arching a brow as she pulled back her staff.

"Uh oh..."

The colors suddenly faded from her, her eyes widening as she fell face first into the ground.

"... Uh... Pyrite? This is the part where you're uh... Supposed to be hitting me." Citrine said, poking her with a stick that he seemed to have pulled out of thin air.

"Pyrite." He continued to poke her.

"Pyrite." She didn't respond, so Citrine kept poking her.

"Pyyyyyyyrite." Citrine frowned as he poked her.

* * *

"Uh... Knock knock." Carnelian stepped in with Aquamarine, seeing Citrine still poking Pyrite.

"It's been a few days... What's been going on in here?" Aquamarine looked around, looking down at Pyrite with wide eyes.

"Pyrite got angry and did the best face plant I've ever seen." Citrine shrugged.

"And you haven't done anything?!" Carnelian picked Pyrite up, Pyrite groaning lightly.

"Well I mean I poked her for awhile." Citrine shrugged.

"Uh... Where did you get that stick?" Aquamarine arched a brow at Citrine.

"Well, y'see, it's a long story that dates back to..." Citrine began.

(Enter one _Episode of Citrine's Stick_ here.)

"Wow... That was deep." Carnelian's eyes were wide.

"I never would have thought..." Aquamarine placed a hand on her head, shaking her head.

"This brave, brave stick..." Citrine closed his eyes, looking down.

"Anyway!" Citrine threw the stick to the side, shrugging.

"Ugh... What happened..?" Pyrite said, Carnelian setting her down in her chair.

"I think you ran out of energy. You really shouldn't overwork yourself like you have been." Citrine said.

"Oh, right... Because I'm just a shard..." Pyrite looked to the side, placing a hand over her Gem.

"... Did you just... Ignore my comment..?" Citrine said, arching a brow at her.

"I'm too tired, I don't have time for your stupidity." Pyrite stood, holding her head as she walked towards the door.

Citrine was suddenly in front of her, staring her in the eye.

"Make time!" He demanded, and Pyrite gave him a tired glare.

"Look, I'm tired... Good. Night." She pushed past him, stumbling and almost falling.

She found herself being scooped up by Citrine, her eyes widening.

"H-hey! Put me down!" She demanded, and Citrine grinned.

"You said you were tired. Your room is at the other side of the ship." Citrine said as he walked to the door.

"I'm supposed to leading those people! They can't see me being carried over your shoulder like a child!" She banged on his back with her small fists, though Citrine didn't seem to be fazed.

"Sorry, it's happening." Citrine opened the door, beginning down the halls.

"Citrine! Space god damn it put me down!" She demanded.

"Love lift us up where we belooong!" Citrine sang in a horrible voice, only succeeding in irritating Pyrite more.

"... How does he know that song?" Carnelian wondered aloud.

"..." Aquamarine glanced over at her. "How do we know that song?"

"Because we're lesbian space rocks. And all lesbian space rocks know that song." Carnelian said.

 **Disclaimer: Probably not true.**

"Right, right." Aquamarine nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Night night." Citrine sat Pyrite down on her bed, Pyrite groaning.

"I cannot believe you..." She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I know, I'm pretty unbelievable." Citrine smirked, rubbing his fist on his shirt with a smug expression.

Pyrite sighed, looking down as Citrine walked towards the door.

"... Citrine..?"

"Hm?" Citrine looked over his shoulder at her.

"... What did they do to you? What made you like this?"

"..." Citrine frowned, an eery silence over taking the room.

"... It's... Not a pleasant bed time story, Pyrite. Another time." Citrine opened the door, stepping through it and closing it behind him.

Citrine's attitude seemed to have changed as he walked through the halls, now frowning in silence.

He came back into the control room, opening up a large map of the current solar system they were in.

"... Hm..." He clicked on one planet, and it showed a close up of it.

"..." He pressed a button, and the speakers across the ship went off.

"We'll be making a short stop to... Stretch our legs tomorrow. The planet doesn't seem to have any intelligent life, but we should still keep an eye out. Just to be safe." Citrine took his finger from the button, the speakers turning off.

He sighed, sitting back in his chair.

He closed his eyes.

 _"C-Citrine... Please..."_

His eyes clenched tighter together, his teeth doing the same.

 _It's all for the greater good..! Kill a few, save them all!"_

"... Heh..." Citrine placed a hand over his left eye, a shaky smile tugging at his lips.

"Greater good? Heh... Yeah, right..." He began laughing lightly.

"Anything that required that to happen is evil..." His laughter continued, though he didn't know why.

* * *

Pyrite took a step out of the ship.

They had landed earlier today, and when she woke up, she was shocked to see they were on land.

The planet wasn't anything spectacular, but it was still just great to be off of that ship.

It was a grassy plain they'd landed in, long weeds swaying in the wind.

"Pretty neat, huh?"

Pyrite jumped at the sound of Citrine's voice.

"Oh, Citrine... It's just you. Geez, don't scare me like that, okay?" She asked, and Citrine walked by her, chuckling lightly.

"Heheh... Sorry Pyrite, I guess I just have that effect on people." He said, hands in his pockets as he went along.

He stepped through the grass, and Pyrite followed him.

"So, you seem much better now that you've had your nape." Citrine said, not looking at her as he spoke.

"Yeah..." She said, slightly confused by his attitude. He had yet to do anything to get on her nerves.

"Uh... Citrine, are you okay..?" She asked as she followed.

"Yes, I'm fine." Citrine said, a small grin on his face.

"... You uh... You aren't taking me out here to kill me, are you..?" Pyrite asked, slightly worried about... Something Citrine seemed to be giving off.

"Heh..." Citrine began laughing way more than anyone should at that line.

"No, no. I actually detected something on this planet. A large power source. It could be very useful to us, so I figured I'd just... Check it out." Citrine said.

"Oh, okay. That's uh... A little reassuring." Pyrite scratched the back of her head.

"Oh come on, I wouldn't hurt you. I don't kill friends..." Citrine said the last part as if he was obviously lying.

Pyrite was unsettled once again.

* * *

"Something's not right..." She stroked her chin, as if thinking.

"Somebody's here..? Huh... That's weird..." Her skin was blue, long blue hair running down her back.

"I bet they wanna be friends!"

* * *

Citrine pointed, standing on top of a large hill with Pyrite.

A large tower reached into the air, blue energy erupting around it.

"Whoa..." Pyrite said, eyes wide. "Homeworld sure has made some technical advances since I've been gone..."

"Meh." Citrine shrugged, walking down the hill.

As they got closer to the tower, the sound of some sort of music became apparent.

"Huh..." Pyrite narrowed her eyes to see the figure in the glowing blue light.

She appeared to be dancing to the music, all alone there.

She wore a blue dancers dress, straight blue hair running down her back.

She was slightly taller than the high of your average pearl, and she seemed to be smiling, as if unaware of their presence.

"Another Gem?" Pyrite said, almost confused.

"That's strange... The scanners said there was no intelligent life on this planet. Could she be the only one..?" Citrine stroked his imaginary beard.

She suddenly stopped dancing, turning and looking at them as they approached with big blue eyes.

"Hello!" She waved with a smile, the music growing quiet.

"Uh... What are you doing here..?" Pyrite looked around.

"Juuuust dancin'! Care to join?" She asked happily.

"Uh... No thanks." Pyrite glanced to the side.

"Okay!" She shrugged, twirling. "Then why are you here?"

"Our ship detected the giant power source behind you. Decided to look into it." Citrine said, and she stopped her dancing.

"... Oh." She stopped her dancing. "... You don't wanna take it, do you..?"

"Well it could be of use to us... But it seems like it'd be a lot of effort." Citrine said, hands in his pockets as he stared up at it.

"Yes, it would be. And very troublesome as well. You see, Homeworld draws a lot of its power from here." She said, frowning lightly as she looked back at the tower.

"And you're the only one they left to defend it?" Pyrite said.

"I should hope you don't get any ideas. I'm much stronger than I look." She looked over her shoulder at them.

"No, no. We aren't just going to try to-" Pyrite was cut off, Citrine suddenly shooting by at the Gem.

She twirled around him, ninja stars appearing in her hand in a flash as Citrine spun around in surprise, the momentum still carrying him as she threw the stars at him.

His armor appeared, the stars bouncing off of him as he skidded to a stop, leaving a trail in the dirt.

She sighed, holding her hands in front of her.

"I am Zirconia, and while I like having visitors..." Ninja stars appeared between each of her fingers, and she held her hands up in an X in front of her.

"I don't really like violent people."

"Citrine, what are you doing?!" Pyrite asked angrily.

"I'm bored." Citrine shrugged. "And we've been cooped up on that ship for so long..." Citrine yawned, scratching the back of his head, his armor disappearing.

"And since you've made it clear that messing with you is an unhealthy form of entertainment..."

"And fighting isn't?!" Pyrite yelled, before grabbing her head.

"Chill, you'll hurt yourself with all that yelling." Citrine said, holding up one hand.

"You'll have to excuse Citrine..!" Pyrite laughed nervously. "He's kind of a screw ball..." Pyrite scratched the back of her head.

"Oh, that's okay then!" She smiled, surprising Pyrite.

"... Wait, really?"

"Oh of course! If he just wants to dance, then that's fine. Between you and me, I really don't like doing my job much." Zirconia giggled, before suddenly ducking under a kick from Citrine, popping up behind him.

Citrine landed, skidding and jumping at her again, throwing multiple punches.

Each punched was dodged with ease, Zirconia smiling as she dodged.

She suddenly spun around Citrine, shoving him forward lightly and making him stumble.

When he turned around, she was gone.

He looked up, holding up one arm and blocking a kick from the blue Gem, who back flipped back, landing on her feet, which were bare.

She moved to the side as Citrine threw a punch, grabbing his hand and dancing with him for a moment, laughing as she did so.

She spun him outward, sending him dizzily onto the ground.

"... Huh..." Citrine rubbed his head.

He suddenly back flipped, Zirconia kicking into the ground where he was a moment ago before shooting up above him, kicking down at him as he blocked with both arms in an X, being thrown into the earth.

Citrine skidded, his feet digging into the ground as he did so.

"You know, I get a lot from a person when I dance with them." Zirconia landed on her feet, curtsying as she did so.

"That so?" Citrine jumped into the air, spinning down with one kick that exploded into the earth as Zirconia evaded.

"Yep! And the more I dance with you..." She dodged around punches, frowning lightly.

"... Tell me, Citrine, was it?" She cartwheeled away from Citrine, jumping up just as he caught up with her, kicking nothing but air as she reached the air above him, landing on his shoulders.

"You did something really bad, didn't you?"

Citrine grit his teeth, his attitude quickly changing at her words.

"I recognize the star you wear. I haven't seen a Crystal Gem in awhile." She tapped her chin.

She danced around his punches, Citrine seeming more serious than a moment ago.

"I don't actually have any opinion on that whole Gem war thing, 'cause I never saw Earth." Zirconia jumped up, placing one hand on his shoulder and holding herself up on his before flipping off of him when he reached for her.

"But uh... I have gotten a glimpse at what it did to people." She glanced to the side, jumping back away from him.

"I won't judge you. What matters is that you stood up for what you believed is right!" She smiled, giving a thumbs up as Citrine shot forward, stopping just before hitting her due to her words.

"... Okay, I'm done..." Citrine said, frowning as he turned around.

"... Did I say something mean..? I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" Zirconia quickly apologized.

"Uh... Citrine..?" Pyrite arched a brow at Citrine as he walked by.

"... I'm going back to the ship." Citrine didn't look at her, hair covering his eyes as he went.

"... Ooookay." Pyrite said, slightly confused.

"Oh, I hope he isn't upset..." Zirconia watched him with worry as he left.

"Don't worry about him, I don't think anything can get to Citrine. This is probably just one of his weird jokes or something. He's probably just trying to mess with me." Pyrite waved a hand dismissively.

"Hm... Well, do come back soon! And good luck with the whole... Whatever you're doing." Zirconia looked to the side.

"You know, you could come with us if you want." Pyrite suggested. "It must get lonely here on a planet by yourself."

"Hm..." Zirconia looked to be thinking. "... Nah! I've got a nice set up here, and I don't really wanna get too involved in this whole 'war' thing." Zirconia shrugged, smiling.

"I'm not working for Homeworld more than I have to, and I'm not working for Earth. I'm just neutral, and I kinda like it that way." She nodded.

"But uh... I'll let you in on a secret." Zirconia leaned in, holding one hand up as if to block her mouth from some unseen viewers eyes.

"I'm rootin' for ya!" She whispered with a smile, before pulling back.

"... Well, okay. I'll be sure to visit when I can." Pyrite smiled in return to Zirconia, turning to leave.

Zirconia waved, watching her leave.

* * *

Everyone had been gathered up back in the ship, and after they made sure everyone was accounted for, they left.

Pyrite was trying to sleep, but just like all of the other nights, she could hear Citrine awake in his room, laughing for no reason.

To be honest, it was starting to freak her out. What was he doing that was so funny?

She closed her eyes, grumbling to herself as she tried to block out the sound with her pillow.

It wasn't working.

* * *

Citrine sat on his bed with his legs crossed, hunched over as he held his head, his hands gripping into his hair.

He laughed hysterically, tears filling his eyes and dropping out from them as he did so.

 _"I-... It's okay, Citrine... I understand..!"_

Citrine shook his head, eyes wide as his laughter continued.

 _"Sometimes what's right, isn't always what's easy... So I'll... I'll forgive you, okay..?"_

Citrine's fingers dug into his skull, the memories flashing before his eyes.

 _Stop, stop!_ Citrine thought loudly, clenching his eyes shut tight as his laughter continued.

 _It doesn't matter! Regret is pointless, it's pointless!_ He told himself.

 ** _It doesn't matter!_**

* * *

 **Well, that ending happened.** _  
_

 **So we saw Citrine and Pyrite again! Hooray! And a new Gem was introduced!**

 **And... Citrine's past..? H... Hooray..?  
**

 **Aquamarine and Carnelian were submitted by Kagehime-sama53.**

 **Anyway, I had an idea. I'm kind of iffy on it, so I'll ask all of your opinions on it. The idea struck me while reading a review that referred to something Howlite was doing as 'cute', and I wondered 'What would the characters think if they read some of these reviews?'**

 **... Ya see where I'm going with this?**

 **It is the filler saga, after all. So if enough people say they like the idea, I'll make a chapter for people answering any questions asked or general statements you want to tell the characters by review or PM. That is if anyone actually wants to, if not, I'll drop this idea. I'll say whether or not it's happening in the end Authors Note of next chapter. If it is, then you can ask. If not, then don't. Obviously.**

 **Honestly this is probably kind of a stupid idea, but I couldn't get it out of my head. And that's kinda how this story got here in the first place, so why not at least suggest it?**

 **Anywho, please Favorite, Follow, and Review!**

 **XWolf26, out**


	68. Chapter 67: B-Team

**Thanks go to Kagehime-sama53, Lover of Anime 1, Anonymous, Guest, KillJoyGem, A Big Fan, SU Fan, StoryWrter2003, Guest, and Guest.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"This sucks."

"Emerald."

"Like a vacuum."

"Emerald, c'mon."

"Not a normal vacuum either. Not that thing humans use to clean. I mean like the vacuum of space."

"You're over reacting."

"Is this what hell is like? Never thought it could be this cruel."

"127, for the love of Space God, shut. The hell. Up." 107 pinched the bridge of his nose, beads of sweat forming on him from the burning sun above.

"Why? Why a desert? Why are we out hunting things in a desert?!" Emerald threw his arms into the air.

"Because now that there are a lot of us and Howlite is fixing Corrupted Gems, we can hunt and capture them all. With enough effort." The Cluster said, holding an umbrella above him. Where he got it, no one knew. But it was multicolored, so it seemed possible that he'd pulled it from his Gem.

"What Gem monster would lurk here?!" Emerald demanded to know. "It's hot enough here for Gems to feel the damn heat!"

"Emerald, calm down." Amazonite rolled her eyes, slouching from the heat.

"You know they only sent us here because we're the B-Team!" Emerald crossed his arms.

"B-Team?" 107 arched a brow at him.

"Yeah! You know, the ones that hardly ever do anything important in a fight or make too many appearances in a chap-... Uh, anything?" Emerald looked over at 107.

"Speak for yourself, I'm plenty important." 107 said, hands in his pockets as he didn't even acknowledge the heat stabbing at him. "But the rest of you are pretty unimportant, yeah."

"Do you want me to fight you? Is that what you want?" Emerald asked, arching a brow at 107, who gave that tiny grin of his.

"Relax, the sun'll set soon." Cluster said, looking up at the sun, which was slowly sinking under the horizon.

"Though so many horrid things lurk in the darkness..." He flicked himself in the head after speaking, shaking his head.

"Well, that's getting better." 107 said.

"Yes, only one of them this time..." Cluster looked down at the gem in his chest, the colors seeming to have melded together more.

"Deserts just get really cold at night..." Emerald kicked the sand in front of him, grumbling before the wind took it, throwing it back into his face.

"Space god damn it!"

* * *

They built a shelter with the heated rocks throughout the desert, the moon looming over them.

The heat of the rocks was keeping ice from forming on them, so it was something.

"Deserts are the worst." Emerald crossed his arms, pouting.

Amazonite patted him on the head sympathetically.

"I'm sure we'll find the Gem Mantis and Gem Scorpion tomorrow. And then we can go back to the beach." Cluster said, glancing out of the rock cave they'd built and into the moon illuminated desert.

"I hope the others are having better luck..." Amazonite said, crossing her arms as she leaned against the back of the cave, Emerald leaning against her.

Oh don't worry, I'm sure A-Team is doing fine." Emerald said spitefully.

"Speaking of A-Team..." 107's gem showed a screen suddenly, Matrix on it.

"Any luck finding the Gem Mantis and Scorpion?" He asked, arching a brow at 107.

"Nope. It looks like you're having trouble with the Ice Serpent though." 107 looked past Matrix, seeing Howlite on the back of a giant serpent with wings, fighting to hold on as he roared angrily, sliding around on it's scales.

"Eyup." Matrix sighed, looking over his shoulder.

"The desert sucks!" Matrix heard Emerald yell from somewhere he couldn't see.

"The arctic isn't any better, I promise." Matrix kicked a pile of snow, shivering.

"Matrix, get off your ass and do something!" Howlite yelled before being thrown off, the serpent spinning and slamming it's tail down into him, sending him exploding into a large pile of snow.

Matrix laughed hysterically at Howlite, who's hand shot angrily from the pile before the transmission ended.

"So that's going well." 107 said sarcastically as the screen disappeared back into his gem.

"That's what they get for sending us here..." Emerald grumbled.

"Emerald, you seem like you could use some sleep." 107 said, all of them looking exhausted after their day out in the desert.

"All of you rest, I'll keep watch. Now that we aren't moving, it's likely those things'll come to us." 107 stood, stepping outside.

No one bothered objecting, all knowing 107 of all people would be pretty good at being the watch.

* * *

107 sat on the roof of the rock cave, watching the moon illuminated sands with mild interest.

He'd said it before, he liked his own company over the company of others.

The wind made small gusts of sand dance in the moonlight, and 107's feet swung lightly as they hung over the roof.

He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the peace and quiet of the desert. What with all the gems around and rooming with Emerald, he hardly ever got any alone time.

He suddenly spun around, extending his left arm out towards the sand as his Gem blade shot out, stretching into the sand and piercing the it, green blood shooting out from it.

A roar of a hiss erupted from the ground, and in an explosion of sand a giant scorpion with a Gem panted right above its eyes appeared from the ground, 107's blade stuck in its shell.

"There you are." 107 said, one hand in his pocket as his blade retreated, Amazonite, Emerald, and the Cluster running from the inside of the cave.

"Monster's here." 107 said in his monotone, pointing with his thumb at the creature.

He suddenly jumped, a scorpion tail smashing the cave he sat on in an instant.

They all jumped back away from the plum of dust, the scorpion shooting from it at them at a horrifying speed.

Cluster jumped back from a pincer, spinning his sickle on a chain and throwing it forward at the scorpion.

It smacked the sickle aside, its tail stabbing down at Cluster.

Amazonite shot from the side, ramming into the side of the stinger and pushing it aside.

The Cluster skidded as he landed back on his feet, pulling his sickle back from the air and spinning it.

107 came from above, his blade forming into a large hammer as he pulled his arm back, slamming it down on the creature's back.

A small crack formed just under his hammer, and he jumped back as the scorpion thrashed.

107 brought up his barrier as its foot slammed down on it, and he winced as he held it up under the weight crashing down on it.

Emerald came from above, energy blades running from both of his arms as he swung down at the scorpions leg, only for its tail to smack him aside, sending him exploding across the sand with a groan.

"You alright?" Amazonite asked as she helped him sit up.

"Why the hell... Are we fighting a monster from Godzilla..?" Emerald winced, and Amazonite smiled lightly.

"Shipping is for later." Cluster said, deflecting a sting with his sickle.

The scorpion let out another roar as Emerald was helped up, 107 jumping back and landing in front of them.

"Let's go." 107 said, his energy blade forming once again.

All four of them shot forward, Emerald and 107 taking the pincers as Amazonite grabbed the tail, slamming it back down into the ground.

Cluster threw his sickle, which wrapped around the tail, helping Amazonite hold it down as Emerald's blades extended, wrapping around both of the pincers and holding them in place.

107 jumped up, pulling back his left fist as an energy drill formed around his hand, and he shot down towards the scorpion, which let out another shriek.

"Yell all you want." 107 landed on its head, his words drowned out in the screams.

"You aren't getting away." He pulled back his drill, before sand suddenly exploded across the area, and everyone looked up to see a giant prey mantis flying over them, its wings throwing sand into the air.

"... Oh shi-" 107 was slashed aside by its claw, being sent exploding through the rocks that once made their shelter.

"107!" Emerald winced as he attempted to keep the claws in place before it suddenly moved them together instead of apart.

Right towards him.

"Emerald!" Amazonite shoved him back, shooting off of the tail and ramming one hand into his chest as the claws came together, smashing her in two!

"Amazonite!" Emerald said, eyes wide as her two gems fell to the ground.

The Cluster grit his teeth, trying desperately to hold the stinger down.

The chain snapped, and the stinger flung forward at Emerald, who jumped back, holding Amazonite's gems as the stinger exploded into the ground.

"We can't fight them both at once!" The Cluster yelled over the wind and roars, jumping over and helping up 107, who was having trouble standing.

"Yeah, I got that!" Emerald's blades moved rapidly, deflecting slashes from the mantis.

107 growled, a green energy exploding from him as he reached out, the mantis being lifted into the air in green.

"Both of you, run! I can buy you two minutes!" 107 threw the mantis into the scorpion, sending them both exploding back across the sands.

"But-" The Cluster began to object.

"I'll be fine. I'm surprisingly good at surviving." 107 said, slamming the mantis down on the scorpion.

The two glanced at one another, before nodding and running off in the other direction.

"Throwing things around this heavy and without any power source other than my own Gem..." 107 closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"107, you idiot..."

He jumped back, a scorpion tail smashing through the ground where he once was.

His blaster appeared, firing down at the scorpion, though the Mantis jumped in the way, its wings forming a shield and blocking the beam.

He shot forward, pulling back his blade as he reached the mantis, his very under used rocket boots activating and sending him over the shield.

He swung at the back of its neck with his Proto-Blade, before a stabbing pain raced through his stomach.

He looked down, seeing a scorpion stinger stuck through his abdomen.

"G-gah... Damn it..." He fell out of Prototype Mode, falling from the sky as the mantis turned around, swinging at him.

His blaster caught him, flying up and just above the swing, quickly flying him towards the others.

The scorpion and Mantis followed angrily, 107 holding his gaping abdominal wound as he weakly lifted his head, blood seeping from his mouth.

He stared directly into the eyes of the beasts, teeth clenched as blood seeped from between them.

* * *

Emerald and the Cluster were still in full sprint when they heard the ground shaking behind them.

"So uh... This isn't going well." Emerald said, glancing over his shoulder to see 107's blaster flying through the sky, two very angry Gem monsters just behind it.

The Cluster frowned, suddenly stopping running and spinning around, Emerald looking over at him in surprise and sliding to a stop.

"What are you-" He was cut off, the Cluster jumping into the air and summoning two sickles, spinning them and whipping them at the Gem beasts, slicing into their flesh and leaving scratches on their armor.

The Mantis hissed, swinging at him. His sickle hooked onto its scythe-like blade, and he swung around, letting go of it and shooting forward, slamming both feet into its eye!

He back flipped away, landing on the ground before jumping back again, a stinger slamming into the ground.

He jumped, landing on the stinger and running up it, jumping off and throwing one sickle down, hooking it into the scorpions eye and yanking himself down towards it.

He said nothing, slamming his fist down into the scorpions shell, cracks running through it as the sand under them collapsed, plums of it exploding into the air.

The Cluster jumped back from the sand storm, landing and skidding, panting with exhaustion.

The dust exploded forward with the flap of the Mantis' wings, forcing him to throw up his arms in defense, clenching his eyes shut.

"We've gotta get out of here!" Emerald yelled over the roaring winds, holding 107's gem, which he had retreated to from his wounds.

"Ya think?" The Cluster jumped back, the Mantis' scythe slashing into the ground where he once was.

"What is a prey mantis even doing in the desert?! This is bullsh!t!" Emerald said, jumping onto 107's blaster with the Cluster as they quickly took off, the Gem Beasts following.

"I think a better question is how and why are they working in tandem?" The Cluster said, before a loud 'thud' was heard.

Emerald looked over in shock, seeing the scorpions stinger stuck through his abdomen, just under his gem.

"Cluster!" Emerald caught him as he fell, eyes wide in shock before he poofed to his Gem.

"Damn it!" He looked back to the monsters, which seemed to be slowing down as they reached higher into the air.

"Okay, this just got worse..." He looked down to the bag full of Gems that he held.

Where he got the bag wasn't important.

"Looks like its just you and me now..." He patted the blasters head, and its eyes darted up to look at him as it let out some sort of mechanical sigh.

Why 107 gave it the ability to do this, Emerald will never know.

Emerald sighed, resting his head in his hands as a single cloud floated past the moon behind them.

"Me and my luck..."

* * *

Emerald tapped angrily at his screen, which read the words 'No service'.

"Why doesn't space god love me?" He asked himself, face palming as the screen disappeared.

"Oookay, All I have to do is get to the warp pad and get the hell out of here." He ran his hand down his face, groaning.

"But if we run into those things again..." He glanced over at the Blaster, sighing.

"We're not getting out of this, are we?"

"Okay, maybe I just wait this out until the others wake up... Then we can get out of here and go get A-Team." For some reason, as Emerald paced around the sand, that idea hurt to say out loud.

"I am pretty pathetic, huh?" Emerald laughed sadly, looking over at the blaster, who almost seemed uncomfortable.

"Can't even grow the pair to fight those things. Space Christ, I didn't even try to object when 107 tried to stay behind." He paced in the sand, throwing his hands to the side.

"I just wanted to get the hell out of there. I knew I didn't stand a chance. I didn't even try..." His hands clenched into fists.

"No wonder I'm on the B-Team... I'm pathetic. Emerald's were supposed to be made to be smart and fight, but it seems like the fighting half just kinda... Fell through for me." Emerald ran a hand through his hair.

"..." He looked to be thinking, holding his chin with one hand.

"The monsters can sense other Gems when they're in their physical forms, so if I try to go to the Warp Pad, they'll probably just cut me off and kill all of us." Emerald gave a 'hm' of thought.

"... Blaster, take this." He placed the bag of Gems in its mouth.

"Take those to the Warp Pad and get the hell out of here." Emerald said, and the Blaster's eyes widened.

"Don't gimme that look, I'll... I'll be alright." He patted the blasters head, smiling lightly.

"Just uh... Tell 107 to look after Rob for me, okay?" Emerald gave a fake smile, and the Blaster frowned.

"Go on, go. I've got things to do, I don't have time to babysit." Emerald gave the blaster a light push, and it nodded, flying off into the air.

It stopped, looking back at Emerald for a moment before continuing off.

Emerald sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"127, you idiot..."

* * *

Emerald stood at the top of a large sand dune, hands in his pockets as he stared down into the dark sands below, the moon looming just above him.

"... 3..."

The ground rumbled.

"... 2..."

The sand shifted before him.

"1!"

He jumped forward as the scorpion burst from the ground, pulling back both blades and slashing off the tip of its tail in an instant, catching it widely off guard as he turned, skidding on two feet and one hand, holding his right blade out to the side.

The scorpion screeched, looking around in confusion.

"Down here, jackass!" Emerald caught its attention, making it spin around to face him.

There, hundreds of Emeralds stood, all but one made from sand.

"Havin' trouble stupid?" Emerald asked from the mix, their colors blocked in the dark of night, meaning it could only make out their shapes.

It roared, smashing its pincer down into the sand clones, sending sand exploding miles into the air.

Emerald shot from the pile, reaching forward as his blade shot out, stabbing forward into the monster's eye and pulling Emerald forward, Emerald roaring as he pulled back one fist, slamming it directly into its other eye.

It screeched, its blood spraying through the air as it was blinded, Emerald jumping back and slashing rapidly at the scorpion, which thrashed in the dark as it was cut, its armor blocking most of the hits.

"Man, you just suck at everything, don't you?" Emerald smirked, its green blood spraying through the air.

He suddenly back flipped, a scythe like blade slicing through the air where he once was.

"Right on schedule, ugly." He said, landing on the Mantis' head and holding on tight, the bug thrashing violently.

"Yep, keep throwing your head around!" He yelled over the whipping winds as he was thrown around.

"I like the sound of your tiny brain rattling around in there too!" He suddenly jumped back, pulling back both blades and thrusting them forward, sending them stabbing into the Mantis' back.

"Doesn't feel too great gettin' stabbed, does it A-hole?!" Emerald landed, skidding in the sand and glaring at the beasts as they stumbled around, each of them letting out their own screech.

"Heh... I just might make it out of this alive..." Emerald said, smirking hopefully as he panted.

The two monster stumbled to one another, running into one another.

"Hey, idiots! I'm over here!" He said, and though they looked towards him, they looked back to one another, each of them grabbing onto the other.

"Uh... What are they..?" Emerald's eyes widened as they morphed into a giant ball of white.

"... Welp, Now seems like as good a time as any to blow my brains out." Emerald placed his hands in his pockets, groaning as he watched the ball shrink down.

"Oh, good, its condensing. Here I thought It'd have a speed advantage." He frowned, watching as the light faded, a new being standing there.

A scorpion tail ran from its tailbone, fangs reaching out around its mouth from the sides, flicking around as two of its arms had pincers and the other two had Mantis' scythes.

Mantis wings sprouted from its back, and it stood at about eight feet tall, its skin green.

It screeched, throwing its head back and its arms out to the sides, the sand blowing away from it.

"..." Emerald looked to the side, looking up at the moon.

"So this is that 'this is it' feeling, huh? Heh... I've never felt it before." He smiled lightly.

"Before there was always somebody to hop in the way, but I guess now I'm the meat shield." Emerald shrugged.

"You're too dumb to realize it, but the others have escaped your wrath." Emerald looked back to the creature before him.

"Whoops, sorry. I was supposed to be the guy who didn't wanna be involved." Emerald smirked, his blades appearing.

"But I guess I'm not quite what everyone expected, am I?" Emerald arched a brow, a light green glow coming from his left eye in the dark of night.

"To be honest, this is pretty unlike me." Emerald looked back to the moon.

"When I started this whole 'Life' thing, I had it planned out from beginning to end." The sand shifted under Emerald.

"I was gonna live a few thousand years, wait to go-" He suddenly thrust one arm forward, slashing at the monster and catching it off guard, forcing it to block with its scythe arm.

"Ha, almost had ya." Emerald smirked, jumping back away from the Scorpis, energy from his blades whipping around him.

"Now lets go, I'm tired. I'd like to get to that eternal sleep thing before morning." The Scorpis shot forward swinging at Emerald, who ducked under it, sliding under its legs and slashing at its back.

It spun around, catching his blade in one pincer as its tail pulled back, preparing to stab Emerald.

Emerald thrust one hand forward, his blade stabbing through its right shoulder and making it stumble back slightly as he pulled himself forward, shooting up and ramming one knee into its chest, glaring into its eyes with his glowing green ones, pulling back one fist and ramming it into its face, sending it exploding back across the sand.

"What? Did'ja think I was gonna make it easy?" Emerald smirked, watching as the Scorpis stood, glaring at him with its multiple eyes as the sand shifted around Emerald, forming a circle around him and whipping up around him.

Emerald ducked, a mantis blade slicing through the air above him before he shot up, slamming one knee into its chin and grabbing it by the sides of its face, spinning and throwing it over his shoulder, sending it back through the sand.

It sat up, jumping back up as Emerald's blades stabbed into the ground where it sat, the blades shooting up from the sand and stabbing at it rapidly.

The blades split apart into multiple points, forcing it to move at a higher speed.

It jumped into the air, one of its pincers stretching forward with shape shifting and smashing into the ground where Emerald once stood, Emerald jumping back and pulling his blades back, throwing one arm back and slashing forward at the Scorpis, who deflected it with one blade.

It landed before him, kneeing him in the stomach and grabbing him with one pincer by the shoulder, the pincer crushing down on his shoulder and making him roar in pain before it threw him back into the air, the stinger shooting down and jabbing at him.

He brought up his half-bubble-shield, blocking the stab, though the force still threw him back through the air.

He spun, landing on his feet and skidding, panting as blood seeped from his mouth, his right arm hanging limp from the crushing of his shoulder.

"Is that the best you can do?" Emerald panted, holding his bleeding shoulder with a smirk.

He was rewarded with a knee to the chin, being sent exploding back through the sand.

"Heh, alright... Lucky shot?" Emerald shrugged as he stood, the Scorpis shooting off at him again.

He reached out, catching the stinger as it swung down at him.

He shot forward, slamming his elbow into the creatures abdomen and making it hunch over before he shot up, slamming his head into its chin and sending it exploding upward, Emerald pulling back his left blade, the only one he could still use, and swing at its side.

It blocked with one blade, glaring down at him as its wings began to flap, stopping its ascent and throwing it back down at Emerald.

"Nope." Emerald's rocket boots kicked on, sending him shooting back away from the Scorpis as it exploded into the sand where he once was.

It shot out after him, and Emerald deflected swing after swing from its blades with one hand, the two flying through the sky.

Emerald grit his teeth, reaching out quickly and grabbing the shoulder of one blade arm.

"These things are a nuisance!" He lifted his feet up, his rockets burning the Scorpis, which screeched as he flew back, tearing one of its four arms off and throwing it to the side.

It shot at him with a screech of anger, swing at him with the other scythe, which he ducked under.

It grabbed him by the throat with one pincer, slamming him down into the ground and creating a crater.

Emerald grabbed the pincer claw, feeling it slowly tightening around his neck.

"G-gah..!" Emerald grit his teeth, trying in vain to pull the pincers apart.

It seemed to grin as it watched him struggle, and sweat began to form as he realized it was about to be over.

 _This is hard..._ He found himself thinking. _Why did I even start to think I had any hope of winning?_

His hair covered his eyes, the glow fading from them as he was pushed further into the sand.

 _No... This isn't hard._ His grip tightened on the pincers.

 _Hard is living every day knowing that if you disappear, no one will know you were gone._ He began to push back the pincers, much to the Scorpis' shock.

 _Hard is watching your best friend die and knowing you couldn't have done anything about it anyway._ Emerald placed one foot on the Scorpis' chest, his rocket kicking on and scorching its chest, making it screech in pain and agony as Emerald kept hold of its claw.

 _Hard is watching everyone else fight while you stand on the sidelines!_ Emerald grit his teeth, twisting its arm and tearing it off, the Scorpis immediately jumping back and rolling in the sands to stop the scorching fires on it.

 _Hard is waking up every morning knowing you're nothing but dead weight._ Emerald stood, throwing the arm aside as his blades formed once more, the energy reaching up and whipping around in the air above him.

"Compared to that, this is easy." Emerald's hands clenched into fists, the Scorpis glaring at him.

The glow returned much stronger to Emerald's eyes, blood running down his right arm from his shoulder wound and running from his mouth from the kick to the chin earlier.

"So, you wanna come quietly, or am I gonna have to drag you back there kicking and screaming?" He frowned, hair covering his eyes.

It shot forward, slicing at him and making him duck under it, shoot up and grab it by the face with his right hand, feeling its fangs stab through his hand as he pulled back his left fist, ramming it into its abdomen, his fist shooting through its abdomen!

Its remaining scythe swung around, stabbing through his back and shooting out from his chest.

Emerald coughed blood out onto it, eyes widening as he threw it down, sending it exploding into the ground.

"Is that... The best you can do?!" Emerald grit his teeth, barely standing as blood pooled under him.

The Scorpis was clearly having trouble as well, holding its wound.

It screeched, shooting off at him and pulling back one pincer.

Emerald's energy blade appeared around his left hand, and he shot forward, slicing the pincer down the middle and shooting out from behind the Scorpis, which stumbled, screeching in pain as half of its arm fell off, poofing on the ground.

"I thought I already told you!" Emerald shot forward, his blade stabbing into the chest of the creature and pulling him forward, Emerald grabbing the wound with his bare hand as its last remaining arm sliced through his right arm as he pulled it back for a punch.

Emerald didn't even seem to notice.

He roared, green energy exploding out from the stump and forming an arm, the hand opening as he slammed it down onto the Scorpis' face, grabbing hold of its head and slamming it back down into the sand, crushing its face in his hand.

"I'm not the push over you expected!"

The sand under them exploded into the air, a sink hole forming under them as Emerald roared with what must have been a lot of bottled up rage.

Its eye stuck out from between his fingers as he crushed its face, its fangs burning in the heat of the energy as they attempted to bit his hand, its skull cracking.

The very deserts shook, Emerald continuing to push into the earth until it poofed.

* * *

"Is that 107's blaster?" Pearl asked, arching a brow at the machine that had warped in.

"That thing can use the warp pad?!" Amethyst asked in shock, before it dropped a bag of Gems onto the couch, Steven quickly grabbing it with wide eyes.

"These... These are Feldspar, Fluorite, Cluster, and one of the emeralds!" Steven said, everyone's eyes widening.

"Where's the other emerald?" Blue Diamond asked, surprised.

The Blaster let out some sort of dog-like noise, motioning towards the Warp Pad.

"107 must have stayed back to fight whatever did this." Peridot said, holding her chin.

"Well then everything's probably fine." Matrix shrugged. "I mean, from what he did to Howlite at the Christmas party, and with the whole carrying two ships thing, I'd say he can handle himself."

"No, it's not 107." Steven said. "This is 107." Steven held up 107's Gem.

"What?" Howlite asked. "How can you tell?"

"I just... Feel it! I know this is 107, which means that Emerald-"

Steven was cut off, the warp pad lighting up the room.

"Is the best person in this room." Emerald finished, everyone's eyes widening as they saw him.

He threw the two gems onto the ground, where they clacked and rolled over to Howlite's feet.

"Take a good look everybody." Emerald said, holding out his arms, one of which being the energy arm.

The holes that had been punched in him, along with his crushed shoulder became visible as he did this.

"Holy crap Emerald what happened?!" Howlite asked in shock.

"B-Team is best team, bitches..." Emerald held up both middle fingers, before proceeding to face plant.

Everyone stared at him with wide eyes and a mouth agape, watching as he poofed into his Gem.

"... So uh..." Blue Diamond looked around. "I'm not the only one who suddenly finds Emerald more attractive, right?"

Howlite pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing and shaking his head at her words before picking up Emerald's Gem.

"I'll take him back to his apartment." Howlite seemed to be in a bad mood just from Blue Diamond speaking.

No wonder they don't interact at all...

"Well I certainly do." 107 said in his monotone, everyone looking to him in surprise, as he'd just kind of appeared, no one'd seen him reform.

"... Calm down, it was a joke." 107 looked to his nails, as if uninterested by the events that had gone on.

* * *

Emerald sighed after reforming, collapsing on his bed, as Howlite had just sat his Gem there a few days ago and left.

Rob the Robonoid jumped up onto him, nuzzling against him.

Emerald laughed lightly, patting the robonoid's head.

"Okay, okay." He picked Rob up, sitting up.

 **"So it was a pretty good day."**

* * *

 **Damn Emerald, you scary. Take note children, don't bottle things up, or you might end up tearing a bug monster limb from limb.  
**

 **... On second thought, bottle things up. That sounds like a really cool feat.  
**

 **Anywho, I got a lot of positive feedback on the idea for the Crystal Gem Q &A, so guess what we're doing or next chapter? **

**So please review the questions you have, along with your response to this chapter if you'd please, and if you want, just things you'd like to say to them to see them respond to.**

 **Just remember that I need a lot of questions to make a chapter out of this, but I also want to see what you thought of this chapter.**

 **I'll take questions in reviews or PM's.**

 **So... Ask away.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	69. Chapter 68: Q&A

**Thanks go to Kagehime-sama53, Lover Of Anime 1, Guest, Guest, StoryWriter2003, Guest, KillJoyGem, Guest, Guest, Guest, A Big Fan, Guest, Eccentric MentoR, Rebel Don, LeWallaby, Guest, and S U fan.**

 **Note: Not all questions will be answered. Don't be mad, please.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"Oh goody, we can kick this spectacular idea off with me." Howlite rolled his eyes, picking up a small white card and looking at it.

"From Guest..."

 _"What exactly is Howlite?"_

"..." Howlite's mouth hung open slightly as he stared down at the card.

"... Space Jesus, this is how we're starting this?" Howlite looked off screen, arching a brow at someone.

"I'm a space rock like every other Gem here. Granted my way of being made was a little uh... Anyway. It's not complex, I promise." He crossed his arms, having thrown the card away.

"Thank you for your delicate wording by the way, that didn't hurt at all." Howlite said sarcastically, walking off screen.

* * *

"Ooh, I wonder what this'll be?" Blue Diamond wondered, holding a card up to her eyes. "From Kagehime-sama53..."

 _"So, after banging 107,"_ She stopped reading, looking at the camera. "I think you and I will get along just fine, Kagehime."

 _"Are the two of you still trying to 'one up' each other in your little game?"_ Blue Diamond thought after reading.

"Well, don't tell him I said this, but even I was a little... Exhausted after our little game." Blue Diamond shrugged. "That Prototype-Mode of his really made things a lot more interesting."

"But I'll still try to mess with him every now and again. He sure is fun to play with... But every toy gets old soon enough." She shrugged.

"Ain't that right Howlite?" She called off screen.

"Screw off." Howlite could be heard from across the room.

She shrugged, grinning lightly.

* * *

"I bet I won't like this..." Lapis muttered, picking up the small white card. "From Kagehime-sama53..."

 _"How's Howlite holding up, and any progress on your relationship with him?"_ Lapis read, before thinking.

"Well, after that first question, he seemed a little angry. I thought it was funny. That made him even angrier." Lapis shrugged.

"Now that he's helping Gem monsters, I don't see him as often. But as each of them get a little better, I see him getting a little happier. It's... Nice. I think in a way, they're helping him too." Lapis smiled lightly.

"That being said, he's still really edgy." Lapis laughed lightly.

"No I'm not!" Howlite's voice rang from across the room.

Lapis laughed harder at his response.

"You know, there are plenty of these cards saying that you're cute, right? After the chapter where you started being nice to Gem monsters, everyone realized just how much of a big softy you really are." Lapis said, grinning as she heard Howlite's roar of anger.

"Precious Howli-Role." She mocked. Ice formed on the ground.

"THAT'S IT, EVERYONE DIES!"

"Uh... I better handle that." Lapis laughed nervously, walking off screen.

"Huh, looks like we're experiencing technical difficulties." Citrine said, appearing uncomfortably close to the screen, tapping on it and looking into it with minor curiosity.

* * *

"Okay, now it's my turn, I guess." 107 picked up a piece of paper, reading it. "From StoryWriter2003..."

 _"Was she (Blue Diamond) good? I mean, I presume that's what you did?"_

"..." 107 sighed. "Alright, I guess I really have to answer this one." He rolled his eyes.

"Okay, so imagine being hit with a plane. No, imagine being hit with the moon being thrown at you at 1000 mph, but the moon is made of heroin and other drugs. And suddenly, you can't even remember your god damn name, all you can think is 'who the hell is this blue succubus literally sucking the life out of me?'" 107 held his hands out in front of him, having flash backs.

"Now imagine waking up in a pool of sin from this amazing super trip, and you still cannot move other than to twitch occasionally for the next hour." 107's eyes were wide.

"And no matter how much you wash, you will NEVER be clean!"

"Ahem..." He shook his head, regaining his composure. "Oh, well would you look at that, I'm sweating." 107 laughed almost nervously.

"Lucky me, I am very much over such... Primal urges, and uh... Have no desire to reenact that... Stupid game, ever again." 107 crossed his arms, looking over his shoulder to the side.

He sighed.

* * *

"... So I'm here..." Bloodstone looked around, clearly confused.

"Uh..." He looked up at the little halo over his head. "I guess hell has angels too."

"Anywho, I have to read a question, right? I wonder what stupid question these viewers could be asking..." He grumbled, taking up a slip of paper.

"From A Big Fan..."

 _"Are Pyrite and Citrine the same Pyrite and Citrine that Bloodstone was talking about or are they completely different Gems?"_

"..." Bloodstone looked over into the rest of the room. "Yep, those are the ones I was talking about..."

"Heh... I suppose I should leave before she sees me here... Or before I do something stupid." Bloodstone closed his eyes, smiling lightly as he walked off into the wall, phasing through it and disappearing.

* * *

"Oh, I get one too? Goodie..." Peridot said sarcastically, picking up the slip of paper. "From Guest..."

 _"Tell Peridot she is my favorite and that she deserves more screen time."_

"Ha! You're pretty smart, human." She smirked. "Ya here that? I'm someone's favorite." She boasted.

"There was a point in which a reviewer actually named themselves Howlite because they liked me so much." Howlite could be heard. "That's my level, get on it." Howlite said as he leaned back in his chair, proceeding to drop the mic.

Peridot grumbled, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye before looking back to the screen.

"And I know right?! I think that Wolf Guy needs to get his act together..." Peridot crossed her arms.

* * *

"Hm... From Guest..." Emerald read.

 _"Have Howlite react to being called cute."_

"Oh, that I can do." Emerald looked over into the rest of the room.

"Howlite?!" He yelled across the room.

"What?!"

"You're adorable!"

"Screw you!"

Emerald gave the camera a thumbs up.

* * *

Pyrite sifted through a box of the white slips of paper.

"Howlite, there's like eight of these that are just saying that you're cute." She looked over at him, and he slammed his face down into the table that he sat at, his face red.

"I hate everyone..." He grumbled, the room roaring with laughter.

He growled, flipping the table and stomping over to the camera.

"Listen up!" He began angrily. "I literally eat people, okay? My weapon is metal teeth, I have a wolf demon inside of me! That is not cute! That's scary!"

As the hysterical laughter behind him grew, Howlite picked up the camera, shaking it and roaring angrily.

Everything went to static.

* * *

"Huh..." Steven arched a brow at one card. "Uh, guys? One Guest is asking _"Where is White Diamond?"_."

The room went silent.

"... We um... We have no idea..?" Steven shrugged, though in the shadows behind him, a figure cloaked in white stood, placing her finger to her lips in a 'shh' signal to the camera.

* * *

"So a lot of people have been asking how me and Peridot first met." Matrix said, Peridot standing next to him.

"It's a long story, trust me." Peridot crossed her arms, looking to the side. "And I really don't care for it."

"Don't worry, I'm sure there will be an episode explaining it soon enough." Matrix shrugged.

"What are we gonna call that?" Emerald popped up between them. "Episode of Matridot?"

Both of them thumped him across the back of the head at once, looking away from one another.

"Shut it!" They said in unison, faces red.

* * *

"Another question for me, hm?" Blue Diamond picked up a piece of paper. "From A Big Fan..."

 _"Why don't Yellow Diamond and Blue Diamond get along?"_

"... Hm." Blue Diamond looked to be thinking. "I don't remember!" She shrugged, grinning before glancing to the side.

 _F#cking fortune cookie hair havin' bitch thinks I forgot what she said to me at the Diamond Authority Christmas Party five thousand years ago well her and her man boots have got another thing commin' I tell you what._ She grit her teeth as she thought.

* * *

"So uh, I've been looking through all of the reviews over all of the chapters..." 107 looked over his shoulder at Matrix and Peridot.

"People ship you two like Fed-Ex." He said in his monotone, and they groaned, Peridot pinching the bridge of her nose.

"What else is new..." Matrix glanced to the side.

"Can you explain to me again why you aren't a thing? Because I've only been here for a few weeks and I'm already done with waiting to see you two seal the deal." 107 spun around in his computer chair, arching a brow at them.

"I don't have to take this." Matrix opened the door to leave, _Megalovania_ blaring as he did so.

He slammed the door shut, bones shooting through it after him. _Megalovania_ stopped when he slammed the door.

"Oh yeah, probably should have warned you about that." Emerald said. "When you try to leave, you have a bad time."

* * *

"Oh I wonder what this question could POSSIBLY be about..." Peridot stood next to Matrix as she read the card. "From Kagehime-sama53..."

 _"Are the two of you in a relationship now? Like a romantic one?"_

"..." Peridot tore up the card, throwing into the air. "I'm done with these stupid ship questions!"

"Uh... Lets just say it's complicated..?" Matrix scratched the back of his head nervously.

"It's not complicated at all!" 107 yelled with frustration.

"Just lock it up! Space Christ!" Emerald yelled as well.

"I can't believe I agreed to this..." Peridot buried her face in her hands, face red.

* * *

Garnet picked up a question, looking at it and adjusting her shades. "From Kagehime-sama53..."

 _"Are you going to try and help the potential ships sail?"_

Garnet shrugged. "Well, I've actually looked into most of them. They don't need my help, trust me. But... Some of them might need a little push if they want to be at all happy before... Anyway." Garnet adjusted her shades, throwing the card away.

"I'm just glad I don't have to deal with any of that." 107 said, sitting back in his chair. "Seems like a lot of work for nothing but embarrassment and unnecessary sacrifice." He seemed to be looking at a computer screen, which showed multiple scenes.

Matrix catching Peridot as she fell from the ship, taking Eclipse's blast to the back. Howlite taking the slash from Bloodstone to block it from hitting Lapis.

Amazonite getting smashed pushing Emerald back from the scorpion, and a few other scenes with a few other characters.

"He'll come around." Garnet looked back to the screen, smirking as she pushed up her shades.

"Trust me."

* * *

"Okay, this one's for me." 107 picked up the small slip of paper.

"From Guest..."

 _"Can you explain in detail about 107's prototype mode I still don't understand it and why don't all Emerald's have it?"_

"Well the answer to that is pretty spoilery, but I'll try to explain it to the best of my ability without that Wolf Guy getting mad at me." 107 tossed the card away, placing his hands in his pockets.

"You see, I was created in a very different way than all of the other emeralds. I was created to be a body for a super, nay, omega computer. If that had been a success, I would always be in prototype mode, and would be much more powerful then I am now." 107 glanced to the side.

"Unfortunately, my gem wasn't strong enough to handle all of that knowledge and power. It failed, and the project was shut down." 107 crossed his arms.

"In actuality, I'm much closer to a machine than a gem. I just have an emerald base. That is what sets me apart from the other emerald's, that is what makes me... 'Defective'." 107 used air quotes over the word.

"Prototype mode is just me tapping into that power left behind in my memory banks." 107 shrugged. "Truthfully, it's better that I didn't achieve my true power. If they'd sent me to earth like that, well..."

107's eyes glowed green, and he stared into the camera.

 **"You'd be praying for Bloodstone."**

* * *

"This one's for both of us, hm?" Amazonite picked up the card, and Emerald crossed his arms.

"That can't be good..." he muttered.

"From StoryWriter2003..."

 _"WHY HAVEN'T YOU KISSED?!"_

"..." Amazonite's face lit up in red. "U-uh... Well... I um... I mean..." She glanced at Emerald, as if asking him to answer it.

"Well... Uh... Because... Um..." Everyone in the room watched them closely, Emerald's face slowly lighting up in red.

"W-well uh... What would give us reason to..?" Emerald shrugged.

"Yeah! We uh... We don't... Um..." Amazonite looked around nervously.

"Bye!" She quickly scooped up Emerald, Emerald using his blade to stretch out and grab something in the rafters, swinging away.

* * *

"About time I got one." Hematite picked up the card, arching a brow at it as he read. "From Kagehime-sama53..."

 _"So, did that little talk with Pearl help out with some of your issues? And, what do you think of her now?"_

"Odd question." Hematite muttered to himself, before shrugging. "I suppose it helped a little to get all of that off of my chest. And it certainly helped with the problem of her always sticking her beak into my personal life." Hematite rolled his eyes.

"But... I suppose there is some kindness in her nosiness." Hematite glanced to the side, frowning.

"She still asks a lot of questions when we train, but I'm more willing to answer some of them." Hematite crossed his arms.

"She's getting a lot closer to being a worthy opponent. And she's gotten a lot more tolerable." Hematite smirked lightly.

"But don't get any ideas..." The shadow of his hair covered his eyes, though a silver glow came from under the shadow, and he stared up into the camera.

 ** _"You Dirty Shipper."  
_**

* * *

"Just me this time? Sure ya don't wanna drag 107 or Amazonite in on this one?" Emerald asked, picking up the card. "From Kagehime-sama53..."

 _"I really like your character and your smartassery,"_ Emerald read, before smirking lightly and looking to the camera. "I live to please."

 _"That being said, it is clear Amazonite also has a thing for you. So why hold back on the progress of a potential relationship?"_

"... Uh..." Emerald glanced to the side. "Well... That would be because..."

Emerald sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. "It's... Uh... Complex."

"Look, here's a uh... Scientific fact." Emerald placed his hands in his pockets. "Love? Not a real thing. Just a sick chemical reaction in the brain that forces us to breed. And once that's done, it leaves. And when it leaves, that's it. That's why humans divorce often, there's literally no point in continuing a relationship once you've continued on your DNA strand."

"But being an emerald, there's a thousand copies of me, and I very well could live long enough to outlive my own kid. Trust me, I've ran the scenario through my head more times than anyone can count." Emerald looked to the side.

"If you want a rough estimate of how many times I've just sat there, thinking about it... Well, try counting all of the hairs on your head. Once you finish that, you may have the number you're looking for." Emerald shrugged.

"Besides... We're going into a war. Not just one lunatic his army, but a real war. We're going up against an entire planet." Emerald frowned.

"Lets be honest, I'm not the strongest guy on this team. And Amazonite... As much as it hurts to say it, logically, we're both expendable. And if I were to wake up one morning knowing that I couldn't see her, especially after starting a real relationship with her..." Emerald's hair covered his eyes, and his teeth grit lightly, as if he was hurt just by the thought.

"Here's another lesson human, don't be smart. Ignorance is bliss, and when you know as much as I do, well... There's kind of a reason I'm a bitter, sarcastic a-hole." Emerald scratched the back of his head.

"Uh... Don't tell Garnet that thing I said about love, okay..?"

* * *

"I uh... I didn't expect this..." A figure wearing a blue jacket and blue jeans stood there, glancing around as he held a white card. His hood was up, the shadow covering his face.

"A question directly to me... I would think that would take the fun out of it." He shrugged.

"But if Space God _has_ to make an appearance..."

"Anywho," He held up a white card. "From Guest..."

 _"This is a question for you why did you start shipping Matrix and Peridot together?"_

"Ah, why do anything?" He shrugged. "... Sorry, wanted to sound cool."

"Anyway, Peridot's always... Kinda been my favorite character in Steven Universe..." He scratched the back of his head.

"And though I wasn't originally dead set on the plan, I think I just kinda started doing it subconsciously anyway. It wasn't until I got a review pointing it out that I realized it." He placed his hands in his pockets, his thumbs sticking out.

"And I looked out the window of the train, and I saw I was en route to Ship City, and I said screw it, and I buckled up for one of my favorite ships, and now I'm a dirty Matridot sinner."

"... And Howlis Sinner..."

"And Emerazonite Sinner..."

He went on with his long list.

* * *

"I feel like I know that hoodie guy from somewhere..." Howlite muttered, glancing over at the new person in the room.

"Anyway, from Guest..."

 _"Has Howlite forgiven Blue Diamond yet?"_

"... Pfffft..." Howlite snickered, before bursting into hysterical laughter.

"F-Forgive..?! Bwuhahahahaha!" He hunched over, holding his stomach as tears rose to his eyes.

"I dunno, has Hell frozen over? Did a pig just fly by? Did Emerald just say something that wasn't stupid?" Howlite laughed.

"Yeah, thanks. Really needed that today, by the way." Emerald could be heard from across the room.

"Hell. No." Howlite's laughter stopped, a frown appearing. "I don't even think I've talked to her since she was released from my chest." Howlite crossed his arms, glaring at her from across the room out of the corner of his room.

"She did kinda save your life." Emerald said from across the room once again.

"After she made it a living hell!" Howlite yelled angrily, stomping one foot down.

* * *

"I... Got... Another one..?" The hooded male held up the card, glancing around. "Aight den..."

"From Guest..."

 _"Are you willing to take AU Oneshot Requests?"_

"Hm... Well, I don't wanna say no, but it's a strong maybe. It's gonna have to be pretty good, so don't take offense if I shoot it down." He shrugged.

"Anywho, I've gotten a lot of questions that I uh... Don't wanna bother giving the rest of them to answer, if ya catch my meaning, so I'll quickly go over them." He held up a stack of cards.

"Peridot's gem weapons actually are her cannons, though they are slightly different from the limb enhancer versions, as they can shoot stronger beams, as we have seen in her Giga Beams. It seems like a ranged weapon is the best for Peridot." He threw one card aside.

"Peridot isn't short without her limb enhancers because A.) Matrix X Smolidot feels wrong, and B.) By finding certain ways to actually take in more power, she is able to make herself slightly bigger and stronger than your average Peridot. How she does that'll be explained soon enough, be patient." He threw another card aside.

"I've been asked a surprisingly large amount of times to give the ages of the characters. Well, I don't have one for them all, but I'll give you the ones I do have." He took a deep breath.

"Matrix and Tiger: 5,000 years."  
"Hematite and Zeolite: 5,000 years."  
"Howlite: 10,000 years."  
"Citrine: 11,000 years."  
"Bloodstone and all of the diamonds: Somewhere around as old as the planet you're standing on."  
"Peridot: 100 years."  
"Emerald: 100 years."  
"107: 114 years."

"That's all the ages I've bothered to put thought into. Never really mattered to me but... To each there own, I guess." He shrugged, throwing another card aside.

"The Gem Empire is way too big." He threw another card aside.

He held up like forty seven cards, all of them reading the same thing.

"Matrix, Peridot, literally everyone wants you two to just be together!" He yelled across the room, throwing all forty seven of the cards to the side. "You're adorable!"

He could here them groan from across the room, and gave a small smirk similar to 107's from under his hood.

"Uh... The Gem Hierarchy works... Somehow..? I uh... Never put enough thought into that. You shouldn't either." He waved a hand dismissively.

"Translation: You're a lazy douche." Emerald said, leaning back in a chair with his feet up on the table.

Emerald suddenly fell back out of his chair, landing and bouncing once, rubbing the back of his head.

There is was again, that tiny grin as Emerald glared at him.

"You think you're real funny, don't cha?" Emerald glared as he held up a piece of paper and a pencil, as if ready to cause another mishap.

"Why, I have no idea what you're talking about." He shrugged, putting away the pencil and pad of paper.

"As I was saying, about a year has passed since Matrix first showed up on Earth." He threw another card away.

"Emerald didn't kill 107 in the Kindergarten because he recognized him and didn't want to hurt him." He tossed another card away.

"Emerald's are most certainly not just male versions of peridots." Another card down.

"I can't tell you if more Gems will join, spoilers is bads." He shrugged, tossing another card.

"And I'm sure there'll be an Episode of Emerald soon enough, he did promise them, after all." He shrugged, tossing aside another card.

"And I think that's all of them." He sighed, hands now empty of note cards.

"All right, back to the people you actually wanna see."

* * *

"And here I was starting to feel left out..." Pearl said with minor sarcasm as she picked up the little white note card. "From Kagehime-sama53..."

 _"Thoughts on Hematite, and how has your relationship with him improved?"_

"Hm... Hematite did say you asked strange questions." Pearl said, tapping her chin.

"Well, I think he's improved since our... First meeting." Pearl glanced to the side, remembering the feeling of having her eyes stabbed out.

"That being said, he still refuses to put down that scythe, no matter how much I bring it up. It's unsettling..." Pearl glanced to the side.

"I thought about jsut taking it when he was sleeping, but something about the look he gave me once when I reached for it..." Pearl frowned.

"I think he'd kill me..." She scratched the back of her head.

"Honestly, I don't know what to make of him. He's nice to Steven, but it seems like he's nice to him not because he's Steven but... When he looks at Steven, it's like he's looking at someone else. And he always smiles almost sadly whenever Steven does something... Steven-like." Pearl seemed to be thinking.

"It's like he's never... Here. He always thinking about something. Half of the time after we're finished training, he'll just sit there until tomorrow. And on missions he's very... Straight to the point." Pearl put it delicately.

"When he showed up to fight the Ice Serpent on our last mission... Well, it was dismembered quickly." Pearl saw a short flash of Hematite cutting from its skull to its tail, exploding out from its tail and sending it falling in two pieces down to earth.

"He doesn't seem as hostile around me anymore, and every now and again he will answer one or two of my questions. Though, I've learned not to bring up Bloodstone or Zeolite. It kind of triggers that... Distance I mentioned earlier." Pearl glanced to the side, as if thinking.

"Though he's still kind of rude and emotionally detached, I know he'll tell me everything one day. And until he does, I don't think I'll be able to fully trust him."

"Well, I hope that answered your question." Pearl smiled, waving.

* * *

"Man, I must be really popular." Emerald smirked lightly, picking up his question. "From Eccentric MentoR..."

 _"Tell Emerald last chapter was the most badass thing he's done in the whole story."_

"Hehe, yeah, I am pretty cool." Emerald smirked, closing his eyes and rubbing his fist on his shirt.

"Remember when I stabbed you with a Gem Destabalizer?" Greg asked from off screen.

"Remember when I stabbed you with my energy blade?" Emerald glanced over at him.

"Uh... No."

"You will soon if you keep up your sh!t." Emerald's left eye glowed green.

"Heheh... There's a new Emerald in town." He smirked, crossing his arms.

* * *

"About time I got to read one." Citrine picked up a card. "From Guest..."

 _"Hod do Gems age? Do they age when they feel like it?"_

"Good question meat bag!" Citrine said, snapping and pointing at the camera.

"You see, when Gems come out of the Kindergarten, they're usually fully grown." Citrine crossed his arms.

"But the more things like stress and responsibility that weigh on them, the more signs of aging they show." Citrine held up one finger.

"This is why Matrix has a few grey hairs and Hematite has a few frowning wrinkles." Citrine grinned.

"We have what?!" The two yelled in unison, making Citrine laugh hysterically.

* * *

Steven picked up a card. "From S U Fan!"

 _"How does Steven feel about each of the new gems individually? And where do they live I mean I thought the house got destroyed?"_

"Oh, we all repaired the house awhile ago!" Steven waved a hand dismissively.

"And wow, I'm gonna be here awhile for that other question..." Steven looked to the side.

"Well, Matrix is basically another part of the family now! And Peridot and Emerald seem to actively avoid me, as if they're afraid I'm gonna make them get like the others who stay around me for too long." Steven laughed.

"Amazonite's really nice to me and Connie, I think she just likes kids." Steven shrugged. "And 107 is nice, too. Usually people as detached as he is are harder to get to, but I think his exact wording was 'Denial is pointless. I'm not... 'Edgy' enough to deny my care for you, tiny humans.'"

"Howlite's... A work in progress..." Steven scratched the back of his head.

"Hematite's admittedly nicer then I thought he'd be at first. But I think that's just because I remind him of someone. That's what it seems like, anyway... I'm worried about him." Steven frowned, looking to the side.

"Blue Diamond's not exactly what I thought she'd be." Steven laughed. "But she's pretty friendly towards everyone. Pretty different from how I first saw her."

"Citrine's kinda screwy, but he's funny too." Steven smiled. "And Pyrite's really nice, too."

"And I think that's everyone that you don't already know how I feel about." Steven said, giving a thumbs up.

* * *

"This one's for both of us, hm? You're right, they really do like us." 107 said, standing next to Emerald as he picked up a card.

"From Lover of Anime 1..."

 _"How well do 107 and Emerald know each other?"  
_

"Very well." 107 answered.

"Probably better then anyone else knows us." Emerald continued.

"You see, back when Emerald was first created, I had the temporary job of checking how they functioned. To see if they were defective, that sort of thing." 107 crossed his arms.

"107 caught that I had a personality, which is kind of unlike a lot of kindergarten Gems when they first come to. Or, emeralds and peridots, anyway." Emerald crossed his arms.

"It's a rule that had been forgotten, but I was a pretty strict tester." 107 crossed his arms. "Lucky for him, I was feeling nice that day."

"Yeah, right. It's because you're a wimp and I'm very lovable that you didn't send me in to be erased." Emerald put an arm around 107, grinning.

"... Yeeeeeeaaaaah." 107 said sarcastically, raising his eyebrows at Emerald.

"Anywho, after that, we were put on the same team, along with Amazonite and Tiger." Emerald said.

"And we've been together ever since." 107 said in his monotone, putting his arm around Emerald as well, suddenly pulling him into a headlock.

* * *

"Oh, this one's for me..?" Pyrite picked up a card, glancing around before reading. "From S U fan..."

 _"Will we get Pyrite's back story?"_

"Well um... Eventually..? I don't think I'm ready to tell that story yet..." She scratched the back of her head, looking away.

"Hematite will probably say something before I do..."

"Don't count on it." Hematite's voice rang from across the room.

* * *

"Something tells me I'm not gonna like this..." Amazonite muttered. "From Kagehime-sama53..."

 _"Why do you like Emerald? And how do Fluorite and Feldspar feel about him?"_

"U-uh..." Amazonite glanced around. "I... Um..." She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Well, at first I thought he was just really annoying. But over the years that we worked together, some stuff happened, and we started to get along better..." She scratched the back of her head.

"By the time we first got to Earth, I knew I felt something for him, and then when we had our um... Little adventures on Blue Diamond's ship awhile ago, something happened, and... Um..." Amazonite's face was red.

"I didn't think a fusion could feel this way..." She sighed, looking down.

"As for what happened... Well, that's another story for another day." Amazonite looked to the side.

"Fluorite and Feldspar had a talk about it awhile ago. They were disagreeing about what to do, when one of them said something."

"There's no number on the amount of people who can love each other, she said." Amazonite smiled lightly. "And since then... I've just kind of accepted it..."

"As for Emerald, well... I think he's still in denial."

* * *

"Well, that's all for now." 107 crossed his arms.

"Sorry if we didn't answer your question, but we kind of got more then we knew what to do with." Pearl said.

"And that Wolf Guy got lazy." Emerald glanced around.

"You really shouldn't take him for Granite."

"... Who said that..?" Emerald glanced around, before a blue heart appeared over his chest, and he was lifted up.

"I take it back I take it back!"

Emerald was dropped, and someone laughed.

"You owe me extra ketchup for that one..."

Whatever had been there seemed to teleport away. Or they knew a shortcut.

"... References aside." Howlite said, looking mildly confused.

"We hope you enjoyed us answering your questions." Pyrite smiled.

"Because we didn't enjoy doing it." Hematite frowned, crossing his arms.

Matrix elbowed Hematite, who glanced over at him with a look that asked 'What'd I do?'

"And uh... Have a nice day or something." Matrix shrugged.

 **"... Bye..?"**

* * *

 **Alright, that's the chapter.  
**

 **I have some bad news. Due to a recent drop in grades, chances are I won't be able to update as much for awhile. I won't go into detail, but there'll be a lack in chapters for both of my stories until a few grades come up.**

 **Sorry about that. Trust me, if I could just type and not deal with school, I would.**

 **Please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	70. Chapter 69: Reunion

**Thanks go to Kaagehime-sama53, KJG, KillJoyGemKJG, Lover Of Anime 1, Guest, Guest, S U Fan, Morvank the Dark King, StoryWriter2003, Guest, S U fan, Guest, Eccentric MentoR, Guest, Peridot, Guest, Guest, Guest, Guest, SU Fan, guest, Guest, and GUEST.**

 **To answer your question, KillJoyGemKJG, if you run the idea by me first and I approve it, then you can. I suggest you PM me, as it'll make it easier than doing this through chapters and reviews.**

 **Fun fact: Zirconia actually was made by Sir Viper. And I kept forgetting to credit him. Whoopsie daisy, I guess.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

Steven laid asleep in his bed, snoring lightly as he did so.

A ring from his phone shook him awake, and he grabbed it, sliding answer without looking at who was calling.

"UNIVERSE!"

Steven pulled the phone away from his ear, wincing. "Oh," He yawned. "Hey Mayor Dewey..."

"Why does this keep happening?!"

"What are you-" Yawn. "Talking about..?"

"Are you seri- Ugh! Look out your window!"

Steven looked to the side, his eyes widening.

"... I'll uh... I'll call you back..." Steven hung up, ignoring the words Dewey was yelling.

Another ship...

Seriously?

* * *

Steven burst out the door, finding Hematite standing on the deck, leaning against the railing with crossed arms and staring at the approaching ship blankly.

"Hematite! Oh, good! C'mon, we've gotta-" Hematite rose one hand, signalling Steven to be quiet.

"It's fine. Everyone's already been alerted." Hematite said calmly, keeping his eyes on the ship.

Steven breathed a sigh of relief.

"I honestly didn't think they'd be showing up here again so soon..." Steven said, and Hematite smiled lightly.

"Oh, don't worry. I don't think they want any trouble." Hematite said.

"Huh? What makes you think that?" Steven said, slightly confused.

"Call it a hunch."

* * *

"Somebody's got the flying butter." Citrine said, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms as he looked over at Pyrite, who seemed paler than usual.

"I'm just... A little worried about..." Pyrite trailed off.

She'd ran the scene through her head a hundred times.

Hematite seeing her after all this time. After all of the trouble she caused by just trying to...

He was always angry with her.

She knew she shouldn't have just dropped that responsibility on him but...

"Ooh, is it flashback time?" Citrine leaned in close, startling Pyrite from her thoughts.

"W-what? No, I just..." Pyrite rubbed her arm, looking down.

"Right, right. I'll be patient." Citrine back flipped into his chair, spinning like a child with a happy "Wee!"

* * *

Everyone had assembled on the beach, standing ready for whatever was to come out of the ship as it landed.

"Who could they possibly be sending now?" Howlite crossed his arms.

"Maybe it'll just be like, all the diamonds fused together or something else completely over the top." Emerald commented, clearly irritated with this.

Hematite watched silently as the ship landed, the hand slowly opening.

A single orb appeared on the palm, and there one gem stood.

"Ah, home sweet home." Citrine said, hands in his pockets as he looked around, grinning.

Everyone's eyes seemed to widen at once, apart from Steven's and Blue Diamond's.

"Could it be..?" Pearl muttered.

"Oh, hey guys!" Citrine jumped from the ship, hands in his pockets as he landed crouched in front of them all, standing slowly to his full height.

No one could find any words.

"Aw, come on?" Citrine looked at all of them. "I break outta maximum security space jail and no one can even muster a hello?"

Garnet stepped forward, and Citrine looked up at her, smiling.

"I see you two are still doing the thing." Citrine said, and Garnet didn't change expression.

"Citrine... I can't say I'm not a little surprised you're here." Garnet said, and Citrine arched a brow at her.

"Is the Future Vision thing really that unreliable? Or is somebody gettin' lazy?" Citrine smirked lightly, tilting his head to the side.

"You seem different from when we last spoke." Garnet ignored his comment, and Citrine shrugged.

"Yep, prison changes a guy. Really gets up in your brains and just..!" Citrine made a motion like he was using a power drill.

"But don't worry though, ya can't break me!" Citrine grinned.

"And since I heard Rebelling was was coming back into style, I figured I'd jump on the band wagon." Citrine looked back to the ship, cupping his hands around his mouth to make a megaphone.

"HEY GUYS, GET OUT HERE!"

The ship was alight in the orbs that Gems appear in, everyone's eyes widening.

They held a Crystal Gem banner above them, and Citrine grinned happily.

"We got an army now, Greyrent." Citrine said, and Garnet smiled lightly.

"... Alright, you've earned your hello."

* * *

Pyrite stood at the front of the Gems on the ship, looking over the Gems gathered on the ground.

She spotted him.

Eyes wide, Hematite stared up at her.

She recognized the scythe on his back. She recognized the death in his eyes. And she recognized the shards he held tightly.

Hematite turned around, quickly moving away from the area, much to Pyrite's surprise.

"Uh, Hematite..?" Pearl followed after Hematite as he hastily left.

"I've gotta go... Do something. You should stay here. Talk to old friends, catch up, whatever." Hematite said quickly, pushing open the door to Steven's house.

"Uh, Hematite, don't you think you should-" Pearl was cut off by the sound of the Warp Pad.

She sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Never mind..."

The door opening caught Pearl's attention, and she looked to see Pyrite standing there.

"Oh..! Um... Hello." Pearl greeted awkwardly.

"Oh, yeah, um... Hi." Pyrite scratched the back of her head.

"Look, I know I just kinda showed up, but I really need to talk to Hematite." Pyrite said, looking around. "Is he in here..?"

"Oh, you're the reason he ran off so quickly." Pearl concluded.

"He got on the Warp Pad." Pearl said, and Pyrite frowned.

"Great... Then I'll just have to wait for him to get back." She said, shoulders sinking.

"Not quite, Hematite only goes to a few places. He'll either be at the old Gem Utopia, The Crystal Training Grounds, or what's left of the Kindergarten." Pearl said.

"It's... A little weird that you know that." Pyrite said, and Pearl looked slightly irritated.

"Do you want my help or not?" Pearl frowned, eyes narrowed.

"Yes please..." Pyrite looked to the side.

* * *

Hematite stood atop one of the few remaining roof tops of the Gem Utopia, hands in his pockets as his cloak flapped in the wind.

He saw a flash.

He was staring Bloodstone down on this rooftop. Lightning coursed through the sky in the pouring rain.

But now the sun was shinning. The clouds had left.

Yet it still felt like it was raining.

"U-uh... H-H-Hematite..?"

What fresh madness was this?

Hematite took a deep breath, not saying anything.

"I-I... U-uh..." Pyrite couldn't form any words to save her life.

"You got shorter." Hematite didn't turn to face her.

"..." Pyrite had no response to that.

"So... do you remember this place?" Hematite asked, looking out at the sky.

"This very building... In this very spot." Hematite closed his eyes for a moment, taking another deep breath.

Pyrite looked down.

"I covered Zeolite's eyes. We probably shouldn't have been peaking through the door in the first place but... You know how curious he was." Hematite smiled lightly.

He couldn't help but whisper under his breath.

"I miss him so much..."

Pyrite clenched her eyes shut tight.

"Do you remember the look on his face..? I remember." Hematite looked up at the sky.

"I remember everything." Hematite's teeth clenched tightly.

"And I certainly remember what happened to you." Hematite frowned, his eyes narrowing.

"So... Be honest with me... What sick part of my mind conjured you up..? I know you aren't real." Hematite glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, not turning his head.

"Hematite... I... I'm not..." Pyrite stared at his back with worry in her eyes.

"You were lucky to go when you did. Things got pretty bad after you left." Hematite closed his eyes.

"I was so angry, I almost killed Bloodstone right here. But I showed reserve. I still wanted to trust him." Hematite ran a hand through his hair.

"Love can make you do crazy things, you know? I actually thought he was family." Hematite closed his eyes, looking down.

"Maybe I should've cut to the chase. Saved a few billion people. Ah well." Hematite shrugged.

"Anyway... I'm not a big fan of imposters." Hematite turned to face Pyrite, reaching for Bloodstone's scythe before correcting his mistake and reaching for a sword instead.

"H-Hematite... I'm..." Pyrite's hands clenched onto her dress.

"Don't even finish your sentence. I've had enough of these nightmares." Hematite drew his sword, aiming it at Pyrite.

"... I'm... I'm sorry!" Pyrite suddenly yelled, head down and eyes clenched shut tight as tears dropped from them.

Hematite stopped, eyes widening.

"I didn't think this would happen! I thought I could save him, I really did!" She said, crying.

"I never imagined it would get this bad! I though even if he killed me, he would stop there! I... I just..!"

Pyrite fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands.

"... I just wanted to believe everything was going to be okay..."

"..." Hematite stared with wide eyes, sheathing his sword.

"Are... Are you really Pyrite..?" He said, kneeling in front of her.

Pyrite nodded, taking sharp breathes like a sobbing child.

"Yeah... That figures." Hematite laughed lightly. "Nothing out of my head could be anything like you..."

Hematite pulled her into a hug, and she returned it.

"I'm sorry..." They whispered in unison.

* * *

"Eyup, you wouldn't believe the crap we had to go through to get here." Citrine put his feet up on the table, leaning back on his chair.

"Do tell." 107 said, organizing some of the things in the fridge.

He wasn't quite like Pearl on the subject of cleaning, but he had nothing else to consume his valuable time.

"Well, after I busted outta prison, I had to deal with a really naggy Pyrite." Citrine rolled his eyes.

107 had hoped the story would be at least a little more interesting than that.

"Eventually, to make her get off my back, I took a pit stop to this empty planet." Citrine said.

"Well, almost empty." This caught 107's attention.

"There was this one dancy Gem there. Zir... Something."

"A Zirconia?" 107 questioned.

"Potato, patato." Citrine shrugged.

"Hm... Production stopped on those before even the Gem Wars had started..." 107 looked mildly interested.

"Yeah, she was guarding this big... Light tower thingy." Citrine said, making the shape of it with his hands.

"A zirconia? Guarding something?" 107 arched a brow. "Strange... Those Gems aren't much for fighting."

"Oh, she wasn't. She just kept dancing around my punches... Got so annoying I just decided to leave." Citrine shrugged.

"... What was she guarding again?" 107 questioned, looking up from his work at Citrine.

"I think it was some power generator for Homeworld." Citrine shrugged. "Sure gave off a hell of a lot of energy."

"... Something like that could be very useful to us..." 107 stroked his imaginary beard.

"Our few ships do still have a limited amount of power, and something like that could keep them fueled for years..." 107 held his chin.

"I have been looking for a way to test how well the newly installed Warp Function will work..." 107 nodded twice.

"Yes, that settles it." 107 held up one finger. "We're going to get this power core."

"Whoa whoa, you sure little red and little blue'll be okay with that?" Citrine asked, and 107 walked over to the door, opening it.

"Hey, Garnet." He called.

"Yeah?" She called back from a conversation with a few random Gems.

"I'm gonna take a few Gems on a test for one of the new ships. Should take at most twelve hours." 107 responded. "Is that alright?"

"Sure." She called back simply.

"... Well that was easy." Citrine said.

"She's probably already seen the outcome of this." 107 said.

"I'm assuming you'll want to stay on Earth, considering you just got here?" 107 questioned.

"Eyup. I got plans to look around and see what the humans screwed up in my time away." Citrine said.

Citrine gave 107 the location of the planet, and 107 was off to gather his team for this mission.

* * *

Matrix slowly and silently closed the door to Peridot's room, smiling lightly and laughing to himself as he went back towards his room.

"Um..?" 107 stood there suddenly, making Matrix jump.

"1-107! What are you doing here so suddenly?!" Matrix snapped.

"Well, I was going to ask you if you wanted to help me with a little space trip." 107 said, still looking mildly confused. "But now I'm more curious about what you were doing in Peridot's room."

"U-uh... It's not important."

"But-"

"107, drop it."

"... So you two keeping it a secret from the... Ahem, 'dirty shippers'?" 107 arched a brow.

"... I reserve the right to remain silent..." Matrix glanced to the side.

"I won't tell anyone." 107 patted him on the shoulder.

"It'll be more amusing that way."

* * *

Howlite sat on the cliff over looking Beach City, a somewhat more humanoid looking Centipeedle and Slinker sitting next to him.

They both looked like children, the Slinker having four vine-like tentacles sticking out of their back, using them to stand.

The Centipeedle still almost had the beak-thingy it had for a mouth before, though it was much smaller.

"Do me a favor and keep your distance from the soldiers, shortstack one and two." He said, and they nodded.

Howlite laughed lightly, patting them on their heads.

They seemed to be trying to form words, but all that came out was the Gem equivalent of baby talk.

"You'll get there." He told them.

"Taking them out for a stroll again?" 107 asked, sitting next to Howlite.

"I figured I can trust them outside more often. And the outside seems to make them happier than that little cave." Howlite said, and 107 nodded.

"Well, are you too busy to help me with something?" 107 asked, and Howlite glanced over at him.

"I've got to take a ship to another planet not too far away. It's to get something rather important." 107 said.

"Beats dealing with these two." Howlite stood, the semi-corrupt Gems hanging onto him for dear life.

They hung from his shirt, the Slinker using his vines to wrap around Howlite's shoulders and hook himself there like a backpack as the Centipeedle climbed onto his head.

"..." 107 stared at Howlite, who was clearly disgruntled by the two.

"Don't." He told 107, who put on his tiny grin.

* * *

"Steven, I've got gemlings for you to deal with." Howlite pushed the door open with his foot, carrying the sleeping former Gem Monsters.

Steven had to repress a 'd'aaawww' when he saw Howlite carrying the two, lightly setting them down on the couch.

"You're trusting me to look after them?" Stars appeared in Steven's eyes.

"Yup, me and 107 have to go do something." Howlite said, and Steven's smile widened.

"Yeeeesss!" Steven pumped one fist into the air.

"... Are you sure this is a good idea..?" 107 arched a brow at Howlite.

"... Uh, Steven, call Connie or something to look after these two with you." Howlite added after a moment of thought.

"And... Maybe have Pearl keep an eye on them too..." Howlite's eyes shifted with sudden worry.

"Your babies will be fine, Wolf Dad." Steven promised.

"... Steven, what did I say about that nickname?"

"Uh... That you'll throw me into the ocean if I do it again..?"

"This is strike two."

Steven nodded, gulping.

* * *

Peridot sat on her bed, holding the stuffed bear with her visor Matrix had given her back on Steven's Birthday, looking to be thinking.

She heard a knock at her door, which made her jump.

"What?" She said, opening the door to see 107 there.

"I'm taking one of the ships out to get something with Howlite, Emerald, Amazonite, and Lapis." 107 explained in his monotone.

"And you're telling this to me why?" Peridot crossed her arms.

"Well, we're testing the Warp."

Peridot's eyes widened.

"Well then I guess I have to come along to make sure you clods don't screw anything up." She rolled her eyes, pushing down her excitement to test what she and 107 had spent so much time on.

"How very gracious of you." 107 said sarcastically, walking off.

* * *

107 and Peridot sat at the two control seats of the ship, their hands in the screens before them.

"Is everyone buckled up?" Peridot asked with a small smirk.

"Um... Why exactly do we need to be buckled up again?" Howlite asked.

"Just something we've been working on." 107 explained.

"... Uh oh..." Upon hearing 107's words, Emerald jumped into his seat.

"Everyone buckle up! I don't know what he did, but if 107's responsible, it's gonna throw you around!" Amazonite instructed hastily.

"Blast off." 107 said, not waiting to see if everyone was ready as the ship floated just outside of the atmosphere.

In an instant, everyone was being pushed back in their seat, yells of surprise being drowned in the roar of the ship.

"You're the woooorst!" Emerald yelled, hanging onto the back of his chair, as he hadn't had time to buckle up.

He flew back, rocketing back into Amazonite, who caught him, wincing as they were pushed back against the seat.

After a few minutes of smashing against whatever they were pressed against, the force pushing them calmed down, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"What. Was. That?" Lapis said, eyes wide and hair pushed back.

"Awful." Howlite answered, stumbling out of his chair and rubbing his head.

"Lets see... Everything appears to be doing fine." 107 said, looking over the status of the ship.

"That's an outright lie..!" Emerald said, Amazonite standing and holding him, setting him down.

"Emerald's still a little girl, it would seem..." 107 muttered, as if taking notes.

"..." Emerald slouched, frowning as he heard Amazonite laughing behind him.

"So... I guess that means this was a success." Peridot said with some pride.

107 didn't look up from his screen, raising one hand, Peridot high fiving him without looking up from her screen.

"We'll be landing shortly." 107 announced after a moment of everyone recovering.

"Emerald, Howlite, and Lapis will be going to find the power core while 107, Amazonite and I keep watch over the ship and do a check up on everything." Peridot said, and everyone nodded.

"Lets just get this over with." Howlite crossed his arms.

"Worried about Steven with your babies?" Lapis nudged him.

"W-what? No..." Howlite glanced to the side, blushing in embarrassment.

He looked back to Lapis, who was giving him an 'I know you're lying' grin.

"I said no!"

* * *

"Huh... This planet is strange..." Howlite muttered as they went along, eyes narrowed.

He looked off in one direction for a moment, before shaking his head.

"It's just over those hills." Lapis said as she flew down, landing lightly on her bare feet in the tall orange grass.

"Let's hope there's not as much grass there... I think I've got tics on me..." Emerald complained.

"107 was right, you are a little girl." Lapis said.

"Gee, thanks." Emerald placed his hands in his pockets, slouching with a frown.

"There it is." Howlite pointed ahead after they walked up the hills.

"Whoa... That's a big thingamajig." Emerald said, staring up at the large tower.

"How did we not see that from behind the hills..?" Lapis wondered aloud.

"Mmmmaaaaaagic." Howlite answered, sliding down the hill.

They could see a single Gem dancing in the light from the tower, the sun setting and leaving everything in an orange hue.

"Hello!" Zirconia greeted happily, waving one hand as she stopped dancing.

"Um... Hi." Emerald said, somewhat confused by her friendly demeanor.

"this place must be getting popular." Zirconia smiled. "I don't usually get visitors this often."

"More Crystal Gems, I see!" She noted the stars on their clothes. "You guys must be getting really big, huh?"

* * *

"Yes I'm aware of how big it is, any generator on another planet has to be." 107 rolled his eyes as he spoke to Emerald through his screen.

"But the power source isn't actually the whole building. The building is just for sending the energy. The actual power source is probably big enough to carry." 107 said, looking at the screen before him, which showed the giant generator.

"Just get by this Zirconia and take it. Poof her if absolutely necessary." 107 instructed.

* * *

"You heard him." Howlite stepped forward.

"... So you want the generator?" Zirconia frowned.

"Look, just give it to me and I don't have to get mean." Howlite said, wearing his usual frown as he approached.

"Hmm..." Zirconia tapped her chin with one finger in thought.

"... No!" She said suddenly. "Because you're mean."

"... Okay then." Howlite held a hand over his mouth, spreading out his fingers and making his metal maw appear.

Zirconia stuck her tongue out at Howlite.

"At least try to negotiate a little better than that." Lapis said, looking over at Howlite.

Howlite sighed.

"Just give me the generator." Howlite said, extending one hand out to her.

"Hm..."

She suddenly grabbed his hand, pulling him and spinning with him, pulling him into a dance.

"H-hey! What are you doing?! Let go of me this instant!" Howlite ordered as Zirconia laughed happily, forcing him to dance with her.

Howlite glared at Lapis and Emerald as they laughed hysterically.

"Why aren't you two helping?! Emerald stop recording!" Howlite's yells only made the two laugh harder.

Emerald could barely hold up the camera he'd pulled from his Gem, laughing hysterically.

* * *

Citrine stood on the hand of the statue above Steven's house, the nights winds blowing at his hair.

"So... You finally made it." Blue Diamond said from behind him.

"Heh... Home sweet home." Citrine closed his eyes, smiling lightly.

"Citrine, I promise you it will be worth it." Blue Diamond said, Citrine placing his hands in his pockets.

"Worth is subjective. Most of the time I spent in that glass box, I was thinking something along the lines of 'screw the galaxy, I don't wanna be here'."

"But!" Citrine rose one finger, spinning on his heel back to face Blue Diamond.

"The past is the past, regret is a waste of my valuable time." Citrine shrugged, grinning his usual grin.

Blue Diamond frowned lightly at the sight of it.

"It's all worked out anyway. I mean, everybody else is gonna happy, huh?" Citrine walked past Blue Diamond, grinning.

"So my feelings don't matter at all!"

Blue Diamond wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or if he really meant that.

* * *

Howlite finally managed to free himself from Zirconia, Lapis and Emerald in tears from laughter.

"That's it, I'm done!" Howlite threw his hands into the air, stomping off.

"Howlite, wait..!" Lapis managed to say through her laughs, holding her stomach.

"Screw all of you! I'm done!" Howlite continued away, disappearing from sight.

"What was he so mad about?" Zirconia questioned, curious.

"This is taking forever."

They all looked up to see 107 standing there, hands in his pockets.

Zirconia stared at him, her smile gone.

"... Why are you looking at me like that?" 107 remained expressionless, Zirconia seeming to be somewhat unnerved by his emotionless stare.

107 blinked once.

He jumped down, landing across from Zirconia.

"That generator is rather important to our mission." He said blankly. "It would be great if you were to hand it over. A fight would be a waste of time and energy."

"... First, you have to have a dance with me." Zirconia's ninja stars appeared in hand. "Then I'll decide if I want to give you the generator."

"..." 107 sighed. "Fine."

Zirconia jumped forward, kicking at 107, who ducked under it, popping up behind her and elbowing at her.

She back flipped over him, landing on one foot and spin kicking at him like some sort of ballerina.

107 jumped into the air, his blade shooting from his hand at her as she jumped back, the blade sticking into the ground.

The blade split under ground, shooting up from it at her.

Zirconia quiet literally danced around the stabs, suddenly cartwheeling forward at 107, who jumped to the side.

107 slid on his feet, some dust being kicked up around his feet from said skid as Zirconia jumped from the cartwheel, throwing ninja stars at 107 while upside down.

107 matrix-ducked under one star, back flipping as another shot under him and twisting in air and avoiding the third.

He landed on his left hand and leg, jumping off of them in another spin and extending his left arm at Zirconia, his blade shooting out and stabbing at her.

Zirconia side stepped it, her hair being blown lightly to the side as she did so.

She jumped into the air as the energy blade curved, shooting at her back.

She back flipped over it, throwing five stars from each hand at 107, who jumped, reaching high into the air before shooting down at Zirconia with a kick.

Zirconia moved her head to the side, 107 kicking into the ground behind her and stopping on his hands and feet, swinging at her feet with one leg.

She jumped over his leg, kicking at his face with one leg.

107 shot up from the ground, the kick going under him as he seemed to float for a moment in the air in front of Zirconia, pulling back one leg and swinging at her in a kick.

Zirconia jumped back, throwing more ninja stars forward as her hair was whipped around from the speed of her jumping back.

107 shot forward, arms loose behind him as he crouched slightly.

He dodged easily around stars, reaching Zirconia and jumping up, kicking diagonally down at her.

She moved to the side, 107 landing and spinning, quickly swinging one arm at her head.

She ducked, 107's fist shooting up towards her chin as she did so.

She leaned back, and his fist swung just by, 107 jumping into the air after it and kicking at her with both legs.

Zirconia jumped back, and 107 landed on both hands after she evaded another attack. he back flipped up to his feet.

The two stared at one another, 107 placing his hands in his pockets and blinking once as he inhaled and exhaled from his nose.

His expression remained blank, and Zirconia's eyes narrowed as she continued her attempts to read him.

* * *

"This is ridiculous." Emerald said, crossing his arms.

"They can't even hit each other." Lapis said, eyebrows raised, almost impressed.

"He's got his power cell. He could end this in an instant." Peridot rolled her eyes, visible on Emerald's Gem Screen.

"Can one of you just tell him to finish this already? And while you're at it, hunt Howlite down. I'm sure he's off pouting somewhere." Peridot watched the fight from a large screen on the ship.

"In my experience, it's best to just let him blow off steam." Lapis said.

"And it won't matter what we say to 107. This is his only way of fighting. He's not going to smash her against everything he can just to finish this quickly." Amazonite crossed her arms.

"Might come as a shocker, but the robot actually hates killing. And with as nice as this zirconia is, he won't even do any large amount of damage." Emerald crossed his arms. "He'll just play along until she's done with her 'dance' or whatever, and then he'll either get the power core or walk away."

"Are you kidding me?!" Peridot groaned, running a hand down her face.

"They're basically just dancing around one another at this point." Lapis said.

"Both of their fighting styles are based around dodging." Emerald sighed. "We're gonna be here for hours..."

* * *

107 stood with his right hand in his pocket and his left rose into the air, his energy blade split apart and slashing rapidly at Zirconia as she tried in vain to reach 107.

She jumped back, throwing her ninja stars out at him.

His blades shot down, sticking through the hole in the middle of each star and catching them, whipping them back at Zirconia.

"This is weird..." Zirconia said as she danced past the stars.

... That sounds like some kind of metaphor, but its not.

"Hm?" 107 arched a brow, reaching out with his left hand and sending multiple stabs at her, all of which were dodged.

"Usually I can get a good read on a person by this point but... Well, I've got nothing." Zirconia shrugged, smiling lightly.

"What a coincidence." 107 side stepped a ninja star, ducking under the kick that followed it.

"I've usually got a persons entire personality down and have a pretty good idea of why they have that personality long before now." 107 popped up behind her, kicking at her back.

She twirled around his kick, swinging one arm at his head as she did so.

107 ducked, jumping onto one hand and kicking up at Zirconia's face.

She back flipped away from his kick, and 107 jumped up from his hand, back flipping and landing on his feet.

107 extended one hand, his energy blade shooting out and splitting, stabbing at her from as many angles as it could find.

Zirconia shot forward, dodging every stab as she reached 107, jabbing at him quickly as he ducked and dodged around them, hands in his pockets.

Zirconia jabbed forward at his head, and he moved to the side, Zirconia accidentally over extending her arm and tumbling forward.

He foot got caught on 107's foot, and she fell, spinning around as she did so to face him with wide eyes.

107's eyes widened slightly, and he reached out, catching her in place.

"..." The two stared at one another with wide eyes, and 107 glanced over at his Gem.

"... Uh..?" 107 arched a brow at it, seeing it was glowing.

He could see a glow coming from Zirconia's as well.

Everyone's eyes widened, watching them morph into a white ball of energy, jaws dropping.

Emerald and Lapis covered their eyes from the flash of light, waiting for it to die down.

"... Um... Whoops..?" They stared at their hands. Blue with green lines and splotches.

"... Dude." Emerald managed to say.

They had a green splotch over their left eye, having only two arms and eyes. They were a surprisingly stable fusion.

"Um... We should probably..."

"Yeah..."

With a flash, the fusion was gone, and 107 and Zirconia stood in its place.

"... Well then." 107 looked himself over. "That was strange..."

Zirconia laughed. "I wasn't sure at first, but now I know!"

"Hm?" 107 glanced over at her.

"For a second I thought you'd be a meany like that other guy. But now I know you're just really bad at expressing yourself!"

"... Um... Thanks..?" 107 said with confusion.

"No problem!" She grinned happily.

"Well, I suppose we'll be on our way. Sorry for bothering you." 107 began to walk away.

"Wait, what?" Lapis asked as 107 walked by.

"The energy source isn't important enough to cause this much trouble." 107 had his hands in his pockets as he went back towards the ship.

"We can build one if we really need to." He slouched slightly. "I mean, sure, it'll take a very long time and a lot of work but... I'm sure we can pull it off."

Emerald groaned. "Fan-friggin'-tastic..."

Lapis and Emerald followed 107, not happy over their failure.

"Hey, wait a second." Zirconia rose one hand, and they stopped.

"Hm?" 107 looked over his shoulder at her, arching a brow.

"You all seem pretty trustworthy. And it gets kinda boring here all alone." Zirconia shrugged.

"So, tell ya what, if you let me tag along back to wherever you're going, I'll give you the Generator." Zirconia smiled.

"You want to help us in the war?" 107 asked.

"I'll decide when I get to Earth. I've never actually seen the place. I wanna know what all the fuss is about." Zirconia answered.

"Hm..." 107 tapped his chin in thought.

"Pweeeeeaaaaaase?" Zirconia gave him puppy dog eyes, holding her hands in a begging position.

"... Well, I suppose we need all the help we can get. Whether it be from that Generator or yourself." 107 said, shrugging with his hands in his pockets.

Zirconia gave a 'yay' of joy before breaking into a dance.

"I'm sure Howlite will be happy about this." Peridot said over their communicators.

"Speaking of which... I wonder where he is." Lapis said, thinking.

* * *

"Stupid planet with it's stupid generator and it's stupid dances and it's stupid plants!" Howlite pushed through weeds in the forest he stomped through, a large alien animal creeping up on him.

Fangs and glowing red eyes became visible in the darkness behind him, and a grin tugged at his lips.

Howlite spun around, catching the creatures jaws as they clamped down.

"Oh you picked the wrong predator to piss off, buddy." Howlite snarled.

A howl of agony from this beast rang through the forest, followed by an eerie silence.

Howlite stepped through a puddle of blood, some of it splattered across his face as he grew tired of pushing things aside.

He held up one palm, roaring before a wave of energy exploded from his palm, obliterating the plant life before him, making himself a path.

He winced, stumbling slightly.

He groaned, his crutch appearing once again.

He used it to help him through the path he'd created.

"Still haven't fully recovered from that fight... And fighting Bloodstone so hard after using God Eater certainly wasn't a good idea... And the fact that I've been keeping the crutch a secret since our final battle with Bloodstone also hasn't helped."

He'd convinced them that somehow using the Cluster's power had healed him.

On the contrary. It'd made him worse.

He looked up what almost seemed like a staircase made of stone running up to the mouth of a cave, and began to crutch himself up it.

He wasn't sure why, but something about this place was... Calling to him.

He entered the cave, eyes narrowing as he looked around.

There was a bed, a thatch curtain for blocking the entrance to the cave, and other signs of life.

"Someone lives here..." Howlite's eyes narrowed as he continued through the cave, the light of a fire at the back of it.

He came to a bend in the hallway, and as he went around it, he bumped into another person.

Their eyes widened as they saw one another, both yelling loudly in surprise.

"Who the hell are you?!" Howlite asked, clearly annoyed by the shock, his heart still going a mile a minute as he gasped for breath and held his chest.

"Who the hell am I?!" She asked, hunched slightly and using a cane to stand. She seemed very old.

"Who the hell are you?!" She poked Howlite in the chest with one boney finger, making him back up.

"Bustin' into my house without as much as a knock on the door!" She had grey hair and wrinkles, and as she yelled, Howlite could see a Gem on her tongue.

"You don't have a door!" Howlite yelled back.

"Which'll make it easier to throw you out!" She swung at him with her cane, waddling at him as he backed up, blocking her cane.

"Go on, get! I don't need some albino in here messin' up my setup!"

Howlite growled, catching her cane as his metal maw appeared.

"That's enough!" He chomped the cane in half, splinters flying through the air.

her eyes widened, and she stopped.

"...Hm..." Her eyes narrowed. "Alright, sit down."

"Who said I wanted to-"

 **"Take a seat, brat!"  
**

* * *

 **And we have arrived at another mini-ark.  
**

 **Now then, I know I haven't updated in awhile, and I don't have too good of news.**

 **You see, I'm only about four or five chapters from finishing my Undertale Story, and I'm on Spring Break. So I'll be focusing mostly on that and trying to finish it by the time Spring Break is over.**

 **But when that's over, this'll be my main focus again.**

 **So uh, if you read both of those stories, this is good news for you!**

 **If not, I apologize.  
**

 **If you didn't know already, I kinda suck.**

 **Please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	71. Chapter 70: Boiling Point

**Thanks go to Kagehime-sama53, KillJoyGem, Guest, Lover Of Anime 1, Guest, Ergoan, Eccentric MentoR, Guest, Guest, SU fan, Guest, WantonCanton123, Dirty Shipper, Guest, TTheBookWorm106, Guest, Guest, SU Fan, and Guest.**

 **Now, after a very long wait,**

 **(Sorry about that, by the way.)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"So uh... This is the place." 107 glanced around the ship as he walked Zirconia through it.

"Make yourself at home or something." 107 stood hunched slightly, hands in his pockets, a complete contrast to the happy bundle of life next to him, who looked over the ship with awe.

"This place is so big!" She burst around the ship, 107 watching with slight confusion.

107 sighed once he lost sight of her, shaking his head and continuing towards the control room.

He heard Peridot scream in surprise, and that tiny grin found its way onto his face.

"How did you get in here?!" Peridot asked in shock.

"Oh, yeah. I got us another Crystal Gem." 107 said as he entered the room, earning a glare from Peridot.

"And you couldn't even call me?!" Peridot asked, having fallen out of her chair.

Zirconia sat in her chair, looking over all of the controls with stars in her eyes.

"I thought it'd be funny." He shrugged. "I was right."

Peridot grumbled to herself, standing and dusting herself off.

"Ooh, what's that button do?" Zirconia asked, looking over to Peridot.

"Don't touch that." Peridot told her, and she frowned.

"What about that button?"

"Don't touch that either."

"That one?"

"Definitely do not touch that one."

"..." Zirconia kept up eye contact, slowly reaching for the button.

She was lifted into the air in green, where she pouted.

"Okay then, maybe it's time I just show you your room." 107 said, holding Zirconia in the air.

"Okay!" She happily agreed.

107 sighed, as if mentally exhausted as he carried her out into the hallway.

"Can you set me down now?" She asked as they walked down the hallway, 107 keeping one hand in the air to hold her up and the other in his pocket.

"Are you gonna burst off again?"

"I wasn't aware I was talking to the fun police." She pouted.

107 sighed, shaking his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

It was like talking to Steven...

He set her down, and she immediately went ahead, as predicted.

"Is it this one?"

"No."

"This one?"

"No."

"How about this one?"

"No."

"Could it be this one?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"No."

"Aaaauuuugggghhhh! Come on, the suspense is killing me!" She jumped around in anticipation as they stood at the end of the hall.

"Which one is my room?!" She demanded to know as 107 blankly pressed a button next to a door, making it slide open.

He gestured to the room, and she burst inside.

107 watched her look around the room.

"Hm..." Zirconia took hold of her chin. "Seems kinda gloomy."

"You designed this, didn't cha?" She looked over to 107 with a smile.

"How'd you know?" 107 arched a brow.

"'Cause it's all unexpressive, like you."

"Pretty sure unexpressive isn't a word."

"You've just gotta imagine!" She put an arm around him, gesturing out to the big wide world around them.

Or, medium sized room.

Give or take.

"..." 107 ever so casually took her arm off of him.

"I'll show you! It'll just take some paint to spruce this place up!" She said, standing confidently.

"... Unhuh." 107 ever so casually stepped back out of the room.

"Well, you have fun with that." He proceeded to press the button on the door, closing it.

He sighed as he walked back down the hall, soon making it to the control room and taking a seat in the chair next to Peridot.

"So she is certainly a ball of energy." Peridot glanced over at 107, who crossed his arms, putting his feet up on the dash and closing his eyes.

"What exactly convinced you to let her up here? I didn't think you of all people would be able to tolerate her." Peridot arched a brow at 107.

"I find it impossible to understand her." 107 said, succeeding in confusing Peridot.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"She was left alone on a planet for who knows how long, yet she still remains upbeat and chipper. It doesn't seem to be any form of madness, so what could possibly drive her to this?" 107 held his chin.

"It stumps me completely. And I _hate_ not understanding things." 107's eyes narrowed.

"In truth, I didn't accept her offer for the generator, I accepted so I could study her. Figure out what exactly makes her tick." 107 seemed to be lost in thought as he spoke, and Peridot was almost sure she could see numbers and shapes going across his eyes, as if he was calculating possibilities.

"... I'll just pretend that isn't creepy."

"If curiosity is creepy, then I guess I'm a creep."

* * *

"So..." Howlite sat with his arms crossed in a wooden chair, the older Gem pacing in front of him.

"You've got Corruption too, I see." She said, and Howlite's eyes widened.

"W-what?! How did you-"

"When ya get to be my age, you can spot things pretty easily." She leaned on her cane, shrugging.

"And I've got my own way a tellin'." She went back to pacing.

"But from the looks of ya, you don't have very good control over it." She gestured to Howlite's crutch, and Howlite's eyes narrowed.

"Hey, I've got plenty control over it! It just... Kinda hurts when I use it..." Howlite's eyes darted to the side.

"Wahahaha!" She laughed, shaking her head.

"Listen up brat."

"I am 10,000 years old!"

"Ooh, a big boy!" She thumped Howlite on the top of his head with her cane, making him growl.

"Lady, if you know what's in here," Howlite pressed one thumb to his chest. "Then you should know what I can do to you. Don't think I won't, I've done worse."

"Threats won't work on me Tiny Tim." She thumped him again, and he snarled, rising from his chair and looming over her.

"I am not in the mood to-"

Howlite's eyes widened, everything around them fading to black as he stood before the old Gem, a giant bat looming behind her.

It screeched, and Howlite found himself stumbling back in shock, hitting the wall and falling back down.

"Get it now, brat?" She arched a brow at him.

"Who... Who are you..?" Howlite's eyes narrowed.

"Well, they used to call me Lazurite."

* * *

"Howlite?" Lapis called out as she flew over the forest.

"Any sign of him?" Emerald asked over the communicator, walking through a grassy field.

"Nothing here." Amazonite said, standing on a large hill which over looked both of the previously mentioned areas.

"He couldn't have gotten far... Right?" Lapis said, landing on a tree.

"I don't know... He's probably just off murdering some innocent wildlife to calm down." Emerald shrugged.

"... Hm..." Lapis's eyes narrowed, and she looked to be thinking.

* * *

"Uh... You okay in there?" 107 knocked on Zirconia's door, hearing the sound of rapid movement and painting.

"It's not ready yet!"

"..." 107 shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"She's certainly perky."

107 glanced at Blue Diamond out of the corner of his eye.

"And how long have you been here?" He asked, arching a brow at her.

"Well, I got bored back at Earth. So, I decided to see how everything was going here." She shrugged.

"How did you even..?"

"Not important."

"... Kay."

"So what has gone wrong in your time here?" Blue Diamond asked as 107 walked back towards his own room.

"Well, Howlite went missing. Everyone's out looking for him right now, but-"

"Wait, Howlite's gone missing?" Blue Diamond's eyes narrowed.

"Yes." 107 said, opening his room door and grabbing what looked to be an alien rubix cube from the floor. He didn't even have a bed.

"On _this_ planet?"

"What other planet could he have gone missing on?" 107 arched a brow at her.

"... Ah crap." Blue Diamond's shoulders sunk as she closed her eyes.

"I gotta go, bye!" She disappeared in an instant, much to 107's surprise.

Granted, he only raised his eyebrows in surprise, but that was about all anyone would ever get out of him.

* * *

"Listen up brat, I can teach you how to use that thing without any problem." Lazurite said, and Howlite's eyes narrowed.

"And why would you want to do that?" Howlite asked skeptically.

"This bat has caused me my fair share a problems. And I'm sure that dog has caused you quite a few."

"You don't know the half of it..." Howlite glanced to the side, frowning.

"So, how do you eat energy?" She arched a brow at Howlite.

"Well, if people shoot energy based attacks at me, I can eat those. And if I bite through someone's weapon, I absorb the power from that as well. And if I eat someone, that works too..." Howlite explained, glancing to the side.

"Hmm... Yes, I can work with that." Lazurite said, holding her chin.

"Well, come on. Training starts now." Lazurite walked further into the cave, one hand behind her back and the other holding her cane.

Howlite weighed his options.

He looked to his crutch, and his eyes narrowed before he followed.

They walked to the darkest part of the cave, before a light became visible from the end of the cave.

Soon enough, Howlite found himself walking into an arena.

He looked around, seeing Lazurite was gone.

The door behind him slammed shut.

"Hey, the hell is going on?!" Howlite demanded to know, looking up to Lazurite, who now stood atop a plateau at the top of the arena.

"Show me just how strong you are." She said, and three doors opened, three hulking lizard creatures stomping from them.

Howlite jumped to the side, a giant tongue firing from one lizard's mouth and exploding into the wall.

He reached up, catching a claw slamming down towards him, the concrete under him cracking.

Howlite growled, shooting up and slamming one fist into the lizard's underside, blood spewing from it's mouth.

He back flipped over a burst of fire, leaving one Lizard disabled as he landed on the neck of another, slamming his fist through its skull and killing it instantly.

He jumped up, the last lizard's tail slamming down on the corpse that he once stood on.

He shot forward, holding one fist forward and slamming through the lizard.

He landed behind the lizard, shaking blood off of himself as the lizard collapsed.

"Space Christ brat, I wasn't aware you were so domesticated!" Lazurite said with disappointment. "This is gonna take a lot longer than I first thought..."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Howlite called up in anger.

"You can start by eating those lizards!"

"What?!"

"Did I stutter brat?!"

"..." Howlite looked to the corpses around him. One of the lizards wasn't even dead.

He sighed, shrugging.

"Won't be the worst thing I've eaten."

* * *

"So no luck?" Peridot arched a brow at Lapis, who shook her head.

"He never storms off for this long..." Lapis rubbed one shoulder.

"Do you remember who we're talkin' about here?" Emerald asked.

"If Howlite was in any danger, the planet would be shaking by now." Amazonite commented.

"It's not Howlite being hurt that I'm worried about." Lapis sighed.

"When Howlite goes off alone, he tends to get a little more... Feral. We just can't leave him unchecked, especially on a planet that we know nothing about." Lapis said, looking out through the front window of the ship.

"I'm sure it's nothing. I think Howlite is passed that whole 'Eating people' thing." Amazonite shrugged.

"I wouldn't be so sure." 107 said, leaning against the wall.

"What do you mean?" Lapis looked over to him.

"Lets face it, Howlite entire purpose is destruction." 107 crossed his arms. "When something inevitably snaps him back to that, well... I don't wanna be the poor bastard that trusted him."

"Are you saying you don't trust Howlite?!" Lapis said with some anger.

"About as much as a zebra trusts a Lion. Sure, he's eating other zebra now, but when he runs out..." 107 shrugged.

"Maybe it'd be best if we just left him her-"

107's eyes widened slightly as Lapis picked him up by the collar of his shirt.

"Listen up buddy, I don't know where you find the nerve to sit here and say those things but-"

"I am only thinking logically. Something relics like you tend to avoid." 107 said with chilling precision.

Emerald glanced nervously at Amazonite, who glanced nervously back at him.

"How long will a rabid dog be an asset, Miss Lazuli?" 107 arched a brow at Lapis, who snarled, pulling back one fist.

"Say one more thing, I dare you!"

"Hm." 107 smirked lightly, laughing once. "Perhaps you two are much more alike than I first analyzed."

"That's it! You and me, outside!" Lapis threw 107 down, and 107 ever so casually caught himself in a green aura, floating down to the ground.

"If it will calm you down." 107 placed his hands in his pockets, following her outside.

"Hey, wait! Calm down you two!" Emerald said, running out in front of Lapis.

Lapis's wing spiraled up, smacking Emerald out of the way.

"And she's officially on the war path." Peridot glanced to the side as Emerald picked himself up, rubbing his cheek in pain.

"Great."

* * *

107 and Lapis stood across from one another, Lapis glaring as 107 stared through her coldly.

"I'll give you one more chance to take back what you said!"

"It is obvious Howlite wants to change, but deep down you and I both know he is incapable."

Lapis snarled, shooting off at 107, who ducked under one punch, jumped back away from her as her wings stabbed at him.

She continued after him, and his energy blade appeared.

He deflected slashes from her wings, keeping his right arm behind his back as he used his left to do so.

His blade split into multiple parts, stabbing at Lapis and forcing her to jump back.

"Violence isn't the answer." 107 lectured, moving his head out of the way of a wing stab.

"Neither is being cold!" Lapis kicked at him, making him jump back.

"You'd be surprised what problems could have been avoided if people were more like me." 107 said, hands in his pockets as he jumped back, wind blowing his hair.

"If there were less cold people like you, we wouldn't have any of the problems we have!"

107 laughed. That alone made Lapis stop in surprise.

"Oh, really?" He said, as if talking to an idiot.

"Tell me, how many horrible things have come from someone trusting a monster?" 107 arched a brow at Lapis.

"Howlite is a wolf, Lapis. Do you know what wolves are known for?" 107 had that tiny grin as he closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"Lying, Lapis. They are liars." 107 opened his left eye as Lapis seethed with anger.

"I get it. I've had you two read for awhile. It will be a truly sad day when he eats you, Miss Lazuli."

107 found Lapis's fist planted firmly in his face, being sent exploding back through the air, hitting the ground and flipping and skidding, exploding through a few trees.

"..." 107 sat up, wiping blood from his nose and bending it back into place.

"You think you know everything, don't you?!" Lapis asked. "You think you've got everyone down completely. That you're beyond us all, that you are superior to us in every way!"

107's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Well guess what buddy, I've got you pegged too!" Lapis pointed at 107 in anger.

"You're a sad, bitter little man who has to make others feel small so he can feel big! You want to feel big so you can forget that you're nothing but a failure! A failed attempt! And after they tossed you out like trash, you had to keep telling yourself you were something special!"

"And now you're nothing but a pretentious, cold, defective emerald!"

"..." 107 closed his eyes. "... I see Emerald has been opening that giant mouth of his once again." Lapis noted that 107's hands were clenched into fists.

"But... Your accusations are false. Despite this, I still feel..." 107's teeth grit for a moment, and he had to stop speaking to let it happen.

" _Absolutely livid_ towards you for these accusations." 107 reached into one pocket.

"I understand that you're mad. I like Howlite too, you know. He's a good friend. But... Friends with a wolf one day, they're eating you the next." 107 shrugged.

"It's deep in his programming. He can fight it all he wants, but in the end, we'll either be putting him down, or he'll be chewing on us."

"So... Be honest with me. Do you truly believe that even the worst person can change?" 107 arched a brow at Lapis.

"That everyone can be a good person, if they just try?"

Lapis's eyes narrowed.

"Heheheh..." 107 grabbed hold of his Power Cell. "Alright, here's a better question."

107's left eye snapped open, green fire burning off of it.

" _Do you wanna have a bad time_?"

* * *

"Well... That was something." Howlite wiped blood from his bottom lip.

"So, how do you feel?" Lazurite questioned, leaning on her cane.

"... Strangely more energized." Howlite said, placing a hand over his stomach.

Lazurite smirked lightly.

"Good."

Lazurite looked over her shoulder, eyes narrowing.

"... Howlite, go get some rest. Training will resume in a few minutes."

"..." Howlite's eyes narrowed. She was acting strange...

He walked off, the door opening behind him.

"So..." Lazurite frowned, the shadow of her hair covering her eyes.

"How long have you been there?"

"Long enough." Blue Diamond said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So... That's my replacement, eh? A real bang up job you've done with him." Lazurite said, not turning to face Blue Diamond.

"I've realized what I've done to the both of you was... Not the best idea." Blue Diamond glanced to the side.

"I guess one could say it came back to bite me." Blue Diamond punned.

"Well, isn't that nice?" Lazurite grinned.

"Listen Lazurite, I don't know what you're planning, but trying to control Howlite doesn't work. I know that better than anyone." Blue Diamond said, glancing to the side.

"Oh yes. I noticed those stars you're all wearing. So I guess your dog is one of the 'Good guys' now, correct?" Lazurite laughed lightly.

"Poor bastards..."

"Lazurite, you leave Howlite alone or I'll-"

"You'll what?!" Lazurite spun around. "Do you know what he would do to you if you killed the one who he thinks is trying to give him better control over that beast? Why, he'd never trust you again. And he'd tell the others, and they'd never trust you either! They'd know you were just here to control Howlite again."

"... Damn it..." Blue Diamond grit her teeth.

"Hm..." Blue Diamond laughed lightly. "Watch your step, Lazurite."

Blue Diamond began to walk backwards into the shadows.

"Howlite has a habit of eating his owners."

Blue Diamond disappeared, and Lazurite turned back around, leaning on her cane once again.

* * *

Howlite crutched back through the cave, licking blood off of his cheek.

He stopped, frowning.

"What the hell do _you_ want?"

"Listen, Howlite, Lazurite isn't who you think she is. She's-"

"And why should I listen to you?" Howlite grit his teeth, glaring over his shoulder at Blue Diamond.

"When have you ever told the truth to me?" Howlite stepped forward, poking his finger at her.

"I don't wanna hear a damn word from you!" He grit his teeth.

"In fact, I don't even wanna look at you unless its because I'm watching you step up to a guillotine!"

Blue Diamond took a step back as Howlite stepped forward.

"After all the crap I've done to try to get away from you, you're still here! How dare you even try to talk to me?! Just get the hell out of my life, and don't you _ever_ come back!"

"..." Blue Diamond's eyes were wide in surprise.

"... Alright, fine. Self destruct, see if I care!" Blue Diamond pushed past Howlite towards the exit of the cave.

"Just don't bother coming back!"

Howlite watched her leave with gritting teeth.

"God I hate her..." Howlite muttered, looking to his crutch.

* * *

Emerald jumped back, a claw cutting through the ground where he once stood.

"Screw the outdoors!" He said, stabbing forward with his energy blades, stabbing through the large alien bear creature and killing it.

"Why do they work in tandem?" Amazonite questioned, catching a large rhino looking alien and throwing it over her shoulder through a few trees.

"Howlite is _not_ worth this!" Emerald said, stabbing the bear once again to make it stay down.

"And if we're not careful, we're really gonna mess up the ecosystem of this place." Amazonite looked around and the piles of dead animals around them.

"PETA is gonna strangle us." Emerald said, and Amazonite laughed.

Emerald smiled due to her laughter, before hearing something pushing through the woods.

"Oh god, another one?" His blades appeared once more as Amazonite summoned her clubs.

"Relax, it's just me." Blue Diamond said, and they sighed in relief.

"Wait, what are you doing here?" Amazonite asked.

"Not important." Blue Diamond said, clearly irritated as she sat on a dead animal.

"Uh... You seem kinda pissed. What's that all about?" Emerald arched a brow at her.

"I don't know why you're bothering looking for Howlite." Blue Diamond said.

"Because he's a valuable asset..?" Emerald shrugged.

"And our friend." Amazonite said, glancing at Emerald out of the corner of her eye.

"Eeeeh?" Emerald shook his hand in an 'iffy' sign.

"Well don't bother." Blue Diamond stood, stomping off.

"... Welp." Emerald shrugged.

* * *

Lapis jumped back, 107's blaster suddenly appearing above her and firing down at her.

She glared at 107, her wings appearing just before she was encased in green.

"Tag." 107 said, holding out his left hand before whipping it to the side, sending her exploding through the earth.

Lapis grit her teeth as she pushed herself up, flapping quickly into the air as another blast destroyed the ground beneath her.

She reached high into the air, shooting down at 107 and pulling back one fist, her wing wrapping around it in a drill.

107 brought up a wall of green, cracks spreading through it the moment she collided with it.

He jumped back as the wall shattered, Lapis exploding into the ground before shooting from the dust, stabbing rapidly at 107 with her wings.

107 dodged around hits, reaching out and catching her in green, slamming her into the ground before lifting her up, throwing her through the air and into a tree.

He threw his arm to the right, sending her exploding back through the earth.

He lifted her up, then smashed her back down. And again. And again. And again. And again.

The ground under him shifted, and he jumped back as water shot in spikes out from under him, slashing rapidly.

His blade split apart, slashing the water back before Lapis shot through it, grabbing him by the face and slamming him into the ground, skidding through it.

107 reached up at they came to a stop, grabbing her by the face before a bubble appeared around her face, 107 pulling his hand back and pulling the bubble and her head with it, pulling her off balance before he pulled back his right arm, slamming it into her abdomen.

Lapis coughed blood into the inside of the green bubble, gritting her teeth as her wings came back, forming giant fists and slamming down into 107's chest repeatedly.

107's eyes widened in pain as he was smashed further and further into the earth.

The bubble disappeared from around Lapis's head.

107 grit his teeth, blood running down his chin as the punches continued.

He pulled his left arm down to the ground, a hammer appearing around it before he slammed it into the side of Lapis's head, jarring her and making the fists stop before he grabbed her in green, throwing her high into the air.

He watched as she plummeted, unable to catch herself due to the shaking of her mind from the hammer to her head.

107 wiped blood from his upper lip, standing slowly and dusting himself off.

He watched her slam into the ground, dust being thrown into the air.

His Blaster appeared above the dust, firing into it just as Lapis shot from it, slamming one fist into 107's face and making him slide back, his feet digging into the ground to keep him from flying back.

He ducked down, slamming one foot into Lapis's face and sending her flying back through the air.

His Blaster appeared above her, firing and sending her exploding back into the ground.

107 spat blood to the side, glaring at Lapis as she rose, wiping blood from her chin before cracking her neck.

 _..._ 107's eyebrows rose in surprise.

 _... What the hell is she made out of?_

* * *

"This is impossible..." Emerald complained, slicing through the brush.

"Could he be in that cave?" Amazonite pointed to the cave up ahead, a staircase leading to it.

"Fair assumption." Emerald shrugged, beginning to walk towards it.

"Well, isn't this a surprise."

They stopped, looking over their shoulders in confusion.

Lazurite leaned against her cane, staring at them.

"Uh... Who are you?" Emerald arched a brow at her, surprised to see another Gem.

"Who I am isn't important." She said, eyes narrowing. "But I know who you two are."

"Uh..?" Amazonite said, confused.

"You're trespassers. And I don't like trespassers." Lazurite closed her eyes, grinning.

"Is that so?" Emerald said, arching a brow. "Well take it down a notch, we'll be leavi-"

Emerald's eyes widened as Lazurite shot forward, sinking her teeth into his throat in an instant.

Everything moved in slow motion as the blood drained from Emerald's face, Amazonite reaching out towards him in shock.

Emerald hit the ground with one bounce as blood still ran from the two holes in his neck, eyes wide and pupil-less.

"Emerald!" Amazonite picked Emerald up, Emerald hanging limp in her arms.

Amazonite set him down, standing and looking around for Lazurite, her clubs appearing.

"Ah, it's been so long since I got anything other than these wretched animals for lunch." Lazurite grinned, stepping from the shadows.

She no longer hunched, and only held her cane with one hand. It seemed that some of her wrinkles had disappeared.

"What did you do?!" Amazonite demanded to know, standing between Emerald Lazurite.

"Relax, he should be fine." Lazurite said. "That is, until I get to him again..." She grinned.

Amazonite growled, shooting forward and slamming her club into the ground as Lazurite jumped back.

"But don't worry." Lazurite appeared behind Amazonite, grinning as she slowly looked over her shoulder at her in shock and horror.

"I haven't forgotten about you."

* * *

107 dodged around rapid stabs, his Blaster firing down at Lapis and making her jump back before three trees were lifted into the air in green around her, firing down at her and stabbing through the earth as she jumped back once again.

She was encased in green, being sent flying forward into the trees stuck in the earth, smashing through them and being sent rolling through the earth until she was at 107's feet.

107 prepared to stomp down on her head, when she jumped up, pulling back one leg and slamming it into his face, throwing him back through the air, flipping through it.

He landed, skidding on his feet and one hand, gritting his teeth as he glared at Lapis.

The two shot off at one another once again.

* * *

"Hey Peridot!" Zirconia said, walking up behind Peridot and making her jump.

Zirconia appeared to have some paint splatters on her, but still wore her usual smile.

"Whatcha doin'?" Zirconia asked.

"Oh, just watching those two butt their heads together." Peridot crossed her arms, keeping her eyes on the screen above her.

Zirconia looked up at the screen, gasping.

"Eventually one of them will poof the other and then everything will calm down. And then I'll have to sit through those two being passive aggressive towards one another for a little while but eventually we'll all forget about it." Peridot crossed her arms.

"... Probably."

She looked over her shoulder as she heard the sound of someone transporting outside.

Zirconia was gone.

"..." Peridot sighed.

"I can't see this going poorly." She said sarcastically.

* * *

107 moved his head to the right, dodging a punch before uppercutting Lapis, making her stumble back before she punched him across the back of the head, forcing his head down before he kicked her in the side.

Lapis wings formed, spiraling like drills into the air and stabbing down at 107, who caught them both, gritting his teeth as he held them back.

The two pulled back their heads, slamming them together before they both stumbled back, blood running from their foreheads.

They shot each other a glare, both of them grabbing the other by the collar of their shirt and pulling back one fist.

"Hey, wait!"

Lapis and 107 looked up to Zirconia, who stood on the top of the ship.

"Yes?" 107 asked, the enraged expression fading from his face and Lapis's.

"I just finished my room! C'mon, you gotta see it!" She said, diverting attention from the fight.

"... Eh-..." 107 stammered, a baffled expression on his face.

He and Lapis let go of each other, and Zirconia jumped down, grabbing 107 by the wrist.

"Cooooooommmmeeeee oooooooooooooonnnnnn!" Zirconia said as she dragged 107 away, 107 still unable to process what was happening.

Just who was this screw ball of a gem?

* * *

"See? Didn't I really brighten up the place?" Zirconia smiled happily, gesturing to the now re-colored room.

"You made it very... Flowery." 107 said, hands in his pockets as he looked around, ignoring the blood still running down his forehead.

"Yep! See how happy it all seems now? Doesn't just being in here make you wanna smile?" Zirconia grinned happily at her work.

"... Sure." 107 said, expression blank.

"Then... Why aren't you smiling?" Zirconia said, a worried expression on her face.

"Hm... I don't think I'm capable." 107 said, holding his chin in thought.

"Whhhhaaaaat?!" Zirconia said in shock, raising both hands as if someone had just pulled a gun on her.

107 shrugged casually.

"Well then we have to make you smile right now!" Zirconia grabbed 107 by the collar of his shirt, invading his personal space and making his eyes widen.

"But-"

"No excuses!" Once again, Zirconia was dragging 107 out of the room.

 **"It'll be great, I promise!"**

* * *

 **So 107 and Lapis are not people to make mad.  
**

 **And it appears that 107 does have a nerve that's strikable.**

 **But uh... Sorry about disappearing for so long.**

 **I guess working on Doubletale took a lot longer than I thought it would.**

 **But I just finished the last main conflict, and I will now be resuming this story.**

 **I'm truly sorry about leaving you guys behind, but it seems that I can only focus on one story at a time. Even know my thoughts are preoccupied by that story.**

 **But I do think you'll like what I have planned. Remember that I will never forget this story, I will always be back no matter how long it takes. This is my first big success of a story, and I've grown a lot as a writer because of it.**

 **I mean, just read the first few chapters and then read the later ones. You'll see how much I've improved over the months.**

 **I don't know what I'm gonna do when this story ends, even though that _is_ ages from now. **

**But I've got a lot more of an idea of what I'm going to be doing, and I'm sure you'll all like where this mini arc is going.**

 **Now, please don't hate me for taking so long, and please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	72. Chapter 71: Wolf (Part 1)

**Thanks go to StoryWriter2003, Kagehime-sama53, KillJoyGem, EL17JShough, S U Fan 1, Gaster, Guest, ChumpBuster05, Lover Of Anime 1, Guest, Guest Guest, Guest, cunningsuperior1, pokemon122000, Guest, Boi, Guest, SU Fan, and G.**

 **And Matrix is on Earth, and not in this ark. He's fully developed, other characters aren't. Sorry. I was also asked what makes my story so good. Uh... I have... No idea..? People read this garbage for reasons I'll never know, lol. Maybe they like the shipping?**

 **I'm sure there are good things here. I mean, 603 reviews, 2nd most reviewed story in the SU Archive... That has to mean it's good for some reason, right? Hell if I know why. Well, honestly, I do know why. Or, at least I know why I like it. But talking about your own writing sounds pretentious. So I won't. If you like the story, I'm sure you yourself know why you think it's good.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

Amazonite spun around, swinging at Lazurite over her shoulder, hitting nothing but air.

She growled, looking around for the old gem.

She looked back down to Emerald, her eyes narrowing.

"I don't have time for this..." She muttered, grabbing Emerald under one of her arms, jumping up and onto a tree, beginning to jump away.

She jumped onto a tree, which gave way under the weight, having been slashed at the trunk by something.

Amazonite landed with a roll, looking with a glare to Lazurite, who stepped from the dust kicked up by the falling tree.

"Now now, don't run off so soon. I like to play with my food a little." Lazurite grinned, metal claws appearing over her hands.

Amazonite shot forward, smashing the ground with one club as Lazurite jumped back.

Lazurite kicked down at Amazonite, who blocked with both clubs, being forced to slide back.

Lazurite landed in front of her, slashing at her and making her jump back before shooting forward, ramming her knee into Amazonite's chin, sending her back through the air.

Amazonite landed on her back, skidding for a moment before back flipping up onto the ground, Lazurite stabbing into the ground where she once was.

Amazonite slammed both clubs down onto Lazurite, the ground under her cracking.

Lazurite fell to one knee, glaring up at Amazonite before slowly rising, clubs still on her back.

She slashed forward, Amazonite's eyes widening as her blood flew through the air.

Lazurite kicked forward, sending Amazonite skidding back through the ground, holding her new gash.

"How pathetic... All this time, and you gems are still as useless as I remember." Lazurite said, looming over Amazonite.

She suddenly jumped back, a green energy blade stabbing into the ground in front of her.

With a roar, Emerald jumped down from above her, pulling back one fist and throwing a punch at Lazurite from the air.

She caught him by the wrist, slamming one leg into his side and making him cough blood, dropping him to his hands and knees.

"Welp... Sneak attack didn't work..." Emerald said, still pale from blood loss.

Lazurite gave a fanged grin, crossing her arms as she stared down at Emerald.

She reached up, catching Amazonite's club and wincing as she slid back slightly.

Amazonite roared, pulling back her other club and throwing it forward into Lazurite's chest, sending her exploding back across the ground, tearing through it.

Amazonite quickly scooped up Emerald, jumping away.

"Thanks big ol'... Pretty lady..." Emerald said, clearly somewhat delusional from blood loss as he bopped Amazonite on the nose.

"Really not the time Emerald!" Amazonite said, looking over her shoulder nervously as she jumped away.

"Huh? Oh... What? Sorry... Can't seem to get my thoughts straight..." Emerald said, eyes narrowing as Amazonite carried him.

"Just keep an eye out for anything like-" Amazonite's eyes widened as she looked forward, Lazurite shooting down and slamming one foot into her chest, sending her exploding back across the ground.

Amazonite groaned, eyes clenched shut in pain.

"Now now, I can't have my food running away." Lazurite said, looming over them.

Emerald jumped up, swinging with one shaking arm at Lazurite, who side stepped it, kicking him in the chest and sending him back through the air and into a tree, which he slid down, groaning in pain.

"As for you..." Lazurite pulled Amazonite up by the collar, baring her fangs.

Amazonite suddenly grabbed Lazurite with all four arms, pulling her into a bear hug.

"Gah! What are you doing?" Lazurite grit her teeth as she was slowly crushed.

"Sneak attack." Amazonite responded, voice strained as she used all of her strength to crush Lazurite.

Lazurite hissed, sinking her teeth into Amazonite's neck.

Amazonite winced, but refused to let up.

Lazurite sunk all of her teeth into Amazonite's throat, now trying not only to steal her energy but to hurt her.

Amazonite grunted in pain, eyes wincing shut.

Amazonite's grip loosened, and Lazurite grinned, Amazonite getter paler by the second.

Lazurite felt Amazonite let go, grinning triumphantly before looking up at the shadow looming over her.

She felt Emerald's foot ram directly into her face, being thrown back through the air.

Emerald reached forward, his blade extending and wrapping around her ankle.

He whipped his arm back, sending her exploding into the ground behind him before he grabbed Amazonite, grunting as he managed to lift her.

"Filthy blood sucker..." He muttered as she lay motionless in a crater.

Emerald quickly jumped away.

* * *

"Look at that sunset! Doesn't it just make you wanna smile?" Zirconia looked over at 107, who stared at the sun with a look of curiosity.

"Hm... Oh, interesting. In just a few million years, that star will explode and engulf this solar system. It must be very old." 107 said, and Zirconia frowned.

"Noooo!" Zirconia groaned loudly, stomping one foot down.

"Don't focus on that! Just look at how beautiful it is!" Zirconia grabbed 107's head, aiming it at the sun while simultaneously mushing his cheeks.

"Zirconia, this is very bad for my eyes." 107 said, voice distorted from her holding his face.

"Uuuugggghhhh!" Zirconia threw her hands into the air, stomping a few feet away to think.

"What would make you smile..?" She questioned, pacing back and forth while holding her chin and looking down.

"The discontinuation of your attempts is sure to make anyone smile."

"Nonsense!" She said, stomping one foot down and pointing up.

107 let out a long sigh, looking up at the sky.

Hid eyes widened as Emerald and Amazonite jumped over, Emerald faltering and crashing, skidding through the earth in front of them.

"Emerald, Amazonite!" 107 ran forward, kneeling next to them.

"What happened to you?" He said, but they had both already slipped into unconsciousness.

His eyes widened as he saw the bite mark on Amazonite's throat.

"Oh no..." He muttered.

"What is it?" Zirconia asked with worry, placing a hand on his shoulder as she looked at the two unconscious gems.

"We have to get them back to the ship." 107 lifted Amazonite into the air in a green aura, and Zirconia lifted Emerald onto her back.

The two jumped off, carrying the other gems.

* * *

"Peridot!"

Peridot looked over her shoulder. "What-" Her eyes widened, and she jumped out of her chair.

"What on earth happened?!" She asked, shocked as the two Gems were laid down on the floor.

"They don't have too many injuries but their energy is shockingly low..." 107 said, kneeling next to Emerald and looking at him, almost through him, with glowing green eyes.

"Almost like something sucked the life out of them..." Zirconia said, Lapis watching with eyes wide in worry.

"... Sucked the energy out of them, huh?" 107 stood slowly, turning to look at Lapis.

"Wha-? 107, you cannot be serious." Lapis said defensively.

"There are no other gems on the planet, Lapis! Who else could it have been?!" 107 asked angrily, surprising everyone.

"Maybe it was one of the animals!" Lapis said.

"If there were animals capable of that here, do you honestly think she'd still be alive?!" 107 gestured to Zirconia.

"107, calm down!" Peridot attempted to intervene.

"I'm not gonna calm down! Don't any of you get? I brought Howlite here with us! This is my fault! I trusted him, and look where it got us!" 107 said, looking to Peridot.

"He's been waiting! This entire time, he's been looking for the perfect opportunity to escape, and now he's finally got it! I gave it to him!" 107 looked back to Emerald and Amazonite.

"My best friends could have been eaten by that freak and its all my fault..." His hands clenched into fists.

"107, I think you're being irrational..." Zirconia said with worry.

"I'm the only one here being rational! You all let your emotions get in the way, but not me. I know what I have to do." 107 walked towards the door, hands clenched into fists.

"107, stop-" Lapis attempted to grab him by the shoulder, but was encased in green, being whipped at lightning speed into the wall of the ship, a crash shaking everyone to the floor.

The very air seemed to crackle as the button to the door was pressed by psychic energy, being jammed by the force.

107 stepped through the door, Peridot picking herself up off the ground and looking over at a now unconscious Lapis before following after 107.

"107, wait!" She called out, and he stopped.

"107, fighting isn't something you like to do. You told me that you hate killing. So why are you so determined to go start a fight with Howlite?" She asked, confused.

"Peridot, there are very few things in this world that I care about. If Howlite had destroyed the power core or Lapis or something, I would be willing to work this out. But... Those two..." 107 grit his teeth, hands clenching into tight fists as psychic energy crackled around him.

"If anything were to _ever_ take them away from me..." Memories flashed through 107's mind, his teeth gritting.

"I'm stopping this now. Don't try to stop me." 107 continued away.

"107, wait! We're friends, so I'll tell you this, as a friend. If you fight Howlite, you won't win. I've seen him fight. I've seen what he's capable of. 107, he'll kill you." Peridot took a step forward. "Please, come up with a different solution. I doubt Emerald and Amazonite would feel any better about losing you then you do them."

"So you've seen what he's capable of... But you've never seen what I'm really capable of." 107 said, the shadow of his hair covering his eyes, a green light coming from under the shadow.

"Oh this is so bad..." Peridot muttered as he continued away.

* * *

Howlite stretched outside of the cave, still wearing a few bloodstains from the poor animals he was forced to hunt.

This training was certainly working... It had only been about a day, and he didn't need that crutch anymore.

"Should have started doing this stuff earlier..." Howlite said, looking down at the skeleton left from his last meal.

He turned around to go back into the cave, but something glowing green caught his eye.

"Uh..?" He looked back to the shadow of the forest, the sun setting behind the trees.

There stood a shadowed outline, left eye glowing green, pupils missing.

"... 107..?" Howlite asked, before suddenly being encased in green, being sent exploding back through the earth!

107 silently stepped forward from the shadows, hands clenching into fists, shadows still covering his eyes.

Howlite groaned, sitting up from the ground.

"107, what the hell?!" He demanded to know, glaring at 107.

"Drop the act." 107 said simply, raising one hand and snapping, three of his Blasters appearing floating above Howlite and charging.

"What are you talking abo-" Howlite back flipped out of the blasts line of fire, the ground where he once was exploding into the ground.

107 appeared in front of him, pulling back his leg and kicking one foot into his abdomen, sending him exploding into the ground.

Howlite was mid flip and skid before 107 reached out, catching him in green and throwing him high into the air.

Howlite yelled out in surprise, flying through the air.

"What the hell is happening?!" Howlite demanded to know, Blasters suddenly appearing around him.

107 stared up at the flash, eyes still covered by shadow as the sky was lit up, the sun sinking further below the horizon.

He watched Howlite plummet towards the earth, reaching out and catching him in green before whipping his hand down, sending him smashing into the ground harder.

Dust exploded into the air, and 107 watched with a frown.

With a roar, the dust was thrown away from the crater, Howlite standing in it.

"Alright pal, I don't know what the hell you think you're doing, but you're really starting to piss me off!" Howlite glared at 107, who stood on a tree branch.

Tree branches were torn from the trees behind him, floating up behind him before shooting down at Howlite.

Howlite snarled, disappearing and reappearing in front of 107, pulling back one fist.

Howlite punched nothing but air, his fist stopping as if he'd punched a brick wall, 107 standing in front of his fist with crossed arms.

Howlite was suddenly sent exploding back through the air, exploding into the ground and skidding through it, teeth gritting in pain.

He looked up after coming to a stop, eyes widening as Blasters appeared above him, charging and firing immediately.

he threw up both arms in defense, being forced deeper into the earth.

107 stood waiting, arms crossed as he stood before the smoke.

With a snarl, a large white wolf shot from the dust, mouth open wide in a roar.

Tree branches stabbed down through Howlite's sides just before he reached 107, his eyes widening in shock and pain.

Blood dripped from his maw, and 107 pulled back one fist, a large energy gauntlet appearing around it before he slammed it right into his snout, sending him back through the air, slowly forming his normal form once again.

107 reached forward with his glowing left hand, and Howlite's now limp body was lifted from the dust and crater it had created upon impact.

107 said nothing, whipping his arm back and forth quickly, sending Howlite smashing into everything he could see.

"I'm not like the others." 107 said as he threw Howlite to and fro.

"I don't play games with my opponents, I don't play fair." 107 said, holding Howlite limp in the air.

"I fight when necessary and I fight to win." Howlite weakly lifted his head, teeth gritting in pain as blood ran down his chin from the corner of his mouth.

"You thought I was weak enough, that we were all weak enough for you to pick off." 107 placed one hand in his pocket.

"I didn't-" 107 cut Howlite off, slamming him into the ground at full force, shaking the earth.

"You will speak when I say you can speak." 107 grit his teeth.

"As I was saying, you thought we were weak enough to kill, right? Well, you were mistaken." 107 said, watching Howlite slowly pick himself up from the crater, teeth gritting as he looked at 107 over his shoulder, still on his hands and knees.

"I am no push over, beast. You will not eat me." 107 saw a certain rage enter Howlite's eyes as he spoke.

 _Oh, I get it..._ Howlite thought. _He brought me out here because he wanted to put me down! I should have known... Someone like him, someone as soulless as him... I guess it's smart not to trust me... But it's not smart to piss me off._

Howlite stood slowly, hands clenched into fists.

"As you've seen, I have a very... Unique style of fighting." 107 glanced to the side, one hand still reaching out to grab Howlite in another attack.

"I am the fail safe for Gems like you. Powerful monsters who could destroy us all if the urge ever struck them." 107 jumped back as Howlite shot forward, slamming his fist into the earth where he once was.

107 reached out, grabbing Howlite in green and whipping him to the side.

"Because it doesn't matter how powerful you are." 107 said as Howlite flipped in air, landing on his feet and skidding.

"If you can't touch me while I can literally throw you back and forth, you will never defeat me." 107 reached up, opening his fist as more sharpened tree branches were lifted into the air behind him, pointing down at Howlite.

"Do you want to know a secret, Howlite?" 107 asked, throwing his hand down and sending waves of branches shooting down at him.

"The only reason Yellow Diamond kept me around after my failure at being the A.I.'s body was because of a fear she had." 107 said, watching Howlite disappear and reappear throughout the branches shooting at him.

"I'm sure you know the fear she felt towards Bloodstone." 107 said, ducking under one of Howlite's punches as he reached him.

A psychic pulse blew Howlite away from 107, sending him flying back through the air as the wind tore at his shirt.

"She was afraid that in his ever deteriorating mental state, he would eventually come for her." 107 grabbed Howlite as he was thrown through the air, throwing him to the side and sending him crashing through the dirt.

"After seeing what I was capable of, she realized something." 107 stared up at Howlite as he jumped up, firing a blast from his mouth down at 107.

Another invisible wall blocked the blast, energy destroying the ground around 107.

"If I were to really go all out, well..." 107 closed his eyes, Howlite dropping to the ground and shooting off at him, pulling back one fist with a roar.

" _Not even Bloodstone would have a hope of beating me_."

107's eyes snapped open, and Howlite suddenly disappeared, reappearing in the middle of the sky.

"Wha-" Howlite looked around, eyes widening to see sharpened stones and tree branches surrounding him.

"Bye now." 107 snapped, the branches and stones shooting forward, tearing through Howlite's flesh like a hot knife through butter.

 **"AAAAAHHHH!"**

* * *

"That was... Scary..." Zirconia said, looking to the side.

"I've never seen him like that." Peridot said, eyes not lifting from the wounded Lapis she was tending to.

"He... He never seemed like someone to get angry to me... And I'm very good at reading people." Zirconia said, holding her hands together in her lap.

"Uuggh..." Both of them looked over to Emerald as he sat up slowly, rubbing his head.

"Oh don't all help at once." Emerald glared at the two.

"You're fine." Peridot rolled her eyes. "Big baby..."

"..." Emerald looked around. "Where's 107?"

"He saw what happened to you two and... Well, I didn't think he was capable of getting angry, but he proved me wrong by a long shot." Peridot looked to the side.

"Wait, 107 got angry?" Emerald ask, worry in his voice.

"Um... Yes?" Peridot said. "Shocking, huh?"

"Well I hope he found a good way to blow off steam..." Emerald muttered, looking to the side with wide eyes.

"Emerald, what did that to you two?" Zirconia asked.

"It could have only been Howlite." Peridot said, eyes still not lifting from the damaged Lapis.

"Howlite? What, no, no, wasn't him." Emerald said, and Peridot looked up, eyes wide in shock and worry.

"Well... 107 uh... 107 was certain that it was..." Peridot said, sweating nervously.

"... Wait, what?!" Emerald said in shock.

"You're telling me that a livid 107 went off to find Howlite who he's convinced tried to kill Amazonite and I?!"

"Um... Yes..?"

"And none of you tried to stop him?!"

"..." Peridot looked to Emerald, expression that of deathly seriousness. "How do you think this happened to Lapis?"

Emerald's eyes widened.

"Oh this is bad, this is really really bad!" Emerald jumped up, a rush of pain running through his head and making him stumble.

"There's nothing we can do, Emerald. I'm sure Howlite will prove to 107 that he didn't-"

"Oh no, there's _no_ getting through to 107 when he's like this. He's... He's..." Emerald ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't think Howlite would kill 107, Emerald, there's no need to worry." Zirconia said hopefully. "I'm sure they'll work it out and-"

"Howlite? Kill 107? Trust me when I say I know that much is completely impossible."

"... Are we talking about the same Howlite?" Peridot arched a brow at Emerald.

"Peridot, you don't know 107 like I know 107." Emerald shook his head, eyes wide with worry.

"If 107 had the power source, he could destroy worlds." Emerald might have been exaggerating.

Probably not.

"But luckily, he doesn't have the generator or anything like that." Emerald said, sighing with relief as he realized.

"... Right..?"

* * *

So small, yet so powerful.

It was the size of a pebble. Small enough to fit into his energy capsule. The power condensed in such a small object... Amazing, no?

Who thought he'd be testing it on Howlite?

107 threw his hand down, sending Howlite slamming into the earth.

107 walked over to the crater, standing at the top and staring down at Howlite, who lay in a growing pool of his own blood, spears still stuck through him.

Howlite grit his teeth, grabbing a branch with shaky hands and tearing it from his shoulder, roaring in pain.

107 watched with narrowed eyes as he began tearing the branches from himself, blood dripping from his mouth as he did so.

Howlite grit his teeth in pain, eyes wide and pupils shrunk. He looked like some kind of animal.

107 grinned.

Howlite looked up, hundreds of Blasters appearing throughout the air above him, all aiming down at him and charging.

"... I thought we were friends." He looked to 107, eyes narrowing.

"..." 107 frowned.

"So did I."

The flash engulfed the entire area, making animals run away in fear and trees be blown back through the air.

The world shook in horror, and all sound was replaced with a resounding 'BOOM'.

* * *

"Emerald, I really don't think rushing into this is the best idea-"

"I don't give a sh!t what you think, Peridot!" Emerald said, clearly panicking as they stood atop the ship, trying to get a better look.

"Now where could they be..." Amazonite stroked her imaginary beard.

They all covered their eyes, the unmistakable boom of the sound barrier being broken filling their ears as everything was engulfed in white.

The flash faded, everyone slowly opening their eyes.

"I think I know where they are..." Peridot pointed to the now leveled forest, her words drowned out by the ringing in all of their ears.

* * *

 _Why..?  
_

Howlite managed to think, body mangled into shreds at the bottom of the crater. He couldn't feel his legs or right arm. All he felt was pain.

 _Why have they betrayed me..?_ Was all he could manage to think.

It... hurt. All of them, did they really not mean it? Did they just use him and now that they don't need him anymore... Could he really just be tossed aside like that?

 _Just like the rest... they took me out here to kill me... They... They think I'm a freak... Why did I ever think that I could be like them?_

 _Well..._

Howlite's only remaining hand slowly clenched into a fist.

 _If they want a monster..._

Howlite's teeth grit, a black chain pattern appearing on his skin.

 _That's exactly what I'll give them!_

* * *

107 watched the dust settle, wanting to see what was left of Howlite.

Hmph... How did anyone ever use some pathetic creature like him?

Why 107 let him stay around from day one was beyond him.

107's eyes widened slightly, a volt of black electricity shooting from the shadows, flying right by the side of his head.

A roar shook the area, the dust being blown away as something rose from the dust, howling in rage.

The World Eater snarled, chains falling from its body and exploding into the ground, their weight making it shake.

The World Eater took a step forward, letting out a low growl as it hunched down to eye level with 107, who stood calm, staring it in the eye.

It slowly opened its mouth, a wave of energy forming in the back of its throat.

107 sighed, stretching for a moment.

Just as it prepared to fire, it was pulled off balance, rocketing high into the air.

The blast faded, and it looked around, confused.

107 waved from the ground, holding up one glowing green hand and suspending the World Eater in air with ease. _Dark Darker Yet Darker Remix_ by _SharaX_ began playing.

107 jumped, making the motion for a jump shot in basketball and sending the World Eater soaring through the air and crashing into the mountains in the distance.

"Swish." 107 said simply, placing his hands in his pockets as the World Eater rose, glaring savagely at him.

It opened its maw once more, another blast of power charging in its throat.

107 stood calmly, waiting.

* * *

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks, spotting the World Eater.

"W-... What is that thing..?" Zirconia asked, trembling with fear.

"Bad news." Peridot said.

Amazonite glanced over at Emerald, who counted down from three with his fingers.

As he hit zero, the World Eater was lifted, being drained through an imaginary hoop.

The ground shook lightly from the crash.

"..." Peridot's mouth hung agape, and Emerald ever so casually pushed it shut.

* * *

The World Eater fired the blast at 107, who stood calm.

His muscles tensed as it got within feet of him, the blast suddenly firing directly up, soaring into the sky.

 _... What?_

"I appreciate you showing your true colors, really I do." 107 said, snapping.

The World Eater suddenly appeared in the middle of the air, surrounded by Blasters and entire trees.

" _But if you thought that would save you, you're sorely mistaken_."

Small blasts, to the World Eater, at least, tore through him, trees and giant rocks smashing into him as well.

107 threw his hand down the moment the attack had finished, slamming it into the ground with a planet shaking crash.

He threw his hand to the left, sending it exploding through the earth and into a large lake.

The World Eater stood from the water, snarling as blood and water soaked its white fur.

It roared at a shocking volume, the water around it shaking as any animal still in the area ran for the hills.

107 snapped, the sand in the water being lifted in green, wrapping around the World Eaters legs and locking in place, water logged by the lake.

The World Eater growled, attempting to pull away from the green tinted sand.

"It's no use..." 107 muttered, the sand beginning to drag the World Eater further into the ground.

The World Eater snarled, tearing at the sand, eyes widening.

 ** _What the hell is he?!_**

The World Eater suddenly spun at a shocking speed, tearing out of the sand.

"..." 107 frowned, his hair covering his eyes.

It shot off at him, spinning and drilling through the air towards him.

It hit a psychic wall just before reaching him, spinning in an attempt to break through it.

107 reached out, grabbing the World Eater in green. He grinned lightly, throwing his hand up and sending it soaring into the air.

107 threw his hand down and sent the World Eater smashing into a mountain peak, bringing the entire mountain crashing to the ground.

Dust flew through the air, trees being knocked down by the gigantic rock slide.

107 disappeared as the rock slide reached the plateau he stood on, appearing on the snout of the World Eater.

It's eyes slowly opened, winced in pain before widening upon seeing him there.

"Hello again." 107 said, and rage appeared in its eyes just before two Blasters appeared behind 107, each of them blasting directly into its eyes!

It roared, throwing its head back as 107 disappeared once more, appearing on the rock covered ground below it.

The World Eater stumbled to its feet, blood running from its maw as it opened one eye, which had healed.

Blood still ran from the other, which was clenched shut.

"Say goodbye to depth perception." 107 said to the now one eyed World Eater, who snarled at him, firing another beam from its mouth in an instant.

107 jumped, hands still in his pockets as the blast obliterated the ground he once stood on.

He floated above the World Eater after jumping that high into the air, staring the World Eater in the eye.

It fired another beam at him, and he disappeared, appearing behind it.

He bounced slightly upon appearing on the ground, reaching out and pausing for a moment in the bounce before whipping his arm to the side, sending the World Eater exploding through the earth.

107 watched is it stood slowly, teeth gritting in pain.

Several Blasters appeared above it, spinning and firing in a drill motion, tearing through the World Eater's left shoulder.

It roared in pain, looking over its shoulder and firing a blast, destroying those four blasters.

107 frowned, watching their parts fall towards the ground.

Meh. He had more.

He jumped back, the World Eaters giant paw exploding into the ground where he once was.

Hands still in his pockets, his eyes merely darted up, the World Eater being chucked high into the air.

107 appeared above it, shooting down at lightning speed towards it, extending one leg down as green energy exploded around him as if he was breaking through some sort of green atmosphere.

His other leg was bent, foot on the shin of the previous leg.

He slammed directly into the spin of the World Eater as it was still flying up, and a loud snap reverberated through the air, the gust of wind created bowing clouds away.

The two shot down towards the ground, exploding into it and throwing anything left -which wasn't much- away into the distance.

* * *

Emerald brought up his shield, rocks and pebbles hitting it and bouncing off.

He grit his teeth as the shield cracked, everyone standing behind it.

A giant boulder flew towards them, and his eyes widened.

A blue beam of energy exploded through it, sending it scattering as pebbles through the air.

Emerald arched a brow at Blue Diamond as she landed in front of them, the wind dying down as the rocks finally stopped flying.

"I-is that..?" Zirconia's eyes widened.

"Oh, hi new girl." Blue Diamond waved. "Don't worry, I'm rebel scum now too."

"... Oh... kay..?" She said, somewhat confused and surprised.

"I'm not even going to bother questioning how you got here." Peridot said, eyes narrowing. "Because we need your help with the whole... 107 killing Howlite thing."

"We'll have to leave them to it. Trust me, Howlite will be fine. Dying isn't his thing." Blue Diamond turned around, beginning to move towards Lazurite's cave.

"We have something much more important to deal with."

* * *

 _H-how can this be..?_ Howlite thought as the World Eater's eyes slowly opened, looking weakly at the Gem standing in front of it.

 _We need to move..!_

 ** _We can't!_**

 _The hell is that supposed to mean?!  
_

 ** _It means he broke our spin with that kick and now we're sitting ducks!_**

 _Son of a bitch!  
_

107 grinned, seeing the panic appear in their eyes.

The World Eater opened its mouth, firing a wave of energy, which was once again deflected high into the air.

"Give up." 107 told it. "Don't you know who you're up against?"

"I mean, you really picked the wrong people to try to kill first." 107 snapped, Blasters appearing behind him.

 ** _Howlite, there's only one way out of this._**

 _There's no way I'm going to-  
_

 ** _He's going to kill us, Howlite!_**

 _That thing almost killed us last time!  
_

 ** _We can destroy him with ease in that form! Then we can take whatever is making him so powerful and absorb energy from that, healing ourselves._**

 _... I guess we've run out of options, huh?  
_

"Now give up and die!" 107 rose one hand in the air, the Blasters charging.

Lightning struck, flashing and making him cover his eyes as the World Eater seemed to condense, wave after wave of power blowing through the air, making 107 take a step back, eyes nearly winced shut.

The howls slowly became roars, lightning striking all around.

107's teeth grit lightly as he stood his ground, hair and clothes being pulled at by the wind. His blasters were blown into the distance.

107 put an arm in front of his eyes, ducking slightly. A pillar of light exploded into the sky, lighting it up.

The waves of energy slowly died down, the dust settling as 107 uncovered his eyes.

"So... You wanted to see my true form?" Howlite stood, arms crossed. Bulkier. Hair was longer. Teeth fangs, finger nails claws.

"... Intriguing." 107 snapped, Blasters appearing behind him.

"I'm sure." Howlite snapped as well, large, floating metal maws appearing behind him.

"Well, would you look at the time?" 107 said, rubble forming a large analog clock behind him, both hands pointing to the word 'bad' on the clock.

"Hm." Howlite smirked, shooting off the ground at 107 at lightning speed.

107 moved his head to the side, Howlite's fist whistling by his ear as he jabbed him in the abdomen with one glowing green hand, jumping back and throwing his hand down, Blasters firing at Howlite.

His maws jumped in the way, opening and eating the energy.

Howlite shot past them, pulling back one fist as he reached 107, opening his palm right in his face and firing a wave of energy from point blank.

Howlite suddenly appeared in air, his blast soaring away into the sky and hitting nothing.

He was encased in green, being whipped down towards the ground.

He landed on his feet, teeth gritting as he bent his knees, shooting off the ground at 107, who disappeared, appearing behind him and reached out, his energy blade shooting out at his back.

Howlite spun around, biting the blade in two and absorbing the energy from it.

107 jumped back, Howlite jumping into the air and spinning, slamming his leg down on where 107 once was.

He reached up, catching two blasts from Blasters and throwing them aside, leaving himself open.

107 shot forward, hitting Howlite in the chest with several quick jabs, throwing his body back and forth before he jumped back slightly, pulling back one leg and slamming his foot directly into Howlite's chest, sending him flying back through the air.

Howlite spun in air, landing on all fours and skidding.

107 spun down from the air, Howlite leaning back as he slammed one foot down into the ground, which sunk inward due to the force.

107 fell to his hands, spinning and sweeping Howlite's legs out as he attempted to back flip away, jumping up and slamming both feet down into his chest, slamming him into the ground, which exploded under the force.

107 back flipped off of him, a beam shooting from Howlite's mouth and nearly hitting him.

He landed on his feet, skidding slightly as beads of sweat began running down his face.

Howlite stood, cracking his neck.

He suddenly fired a wave of energy from his mouth at 107, who reached out, the wave stopping before his hand before he threw his hand to the side, the wave flying off into the distance.

Directly behind the wave was Howlite, pulling back one fist to a surprised 107.

A wall of psychic energy stopped his fist, cracks running through it before 107 jumped back, Howlite's fist smashing through the wall.

107 reached out, Howlite being encased in green and sent flying straight back through a mound of rocks.

Wave after wave of Blaster appeared floating above the mound, firing and lighting the night once again.

107 stood waiting as the dust settled.

Howlite suddenly shot from the dust, grabbing 107 by the face and slamming him through the dirt.

The two suddenly reappeared in the air, 107 wrapping both legs around Howlite's abdomen and flipping up around to the bigger Gems back, spinning in air and slamming his elbow into the back of Howlite's neck, sending him exploding down into the planet below.

He slowly landed on his feet as Howlite pulled himself from the crater, glaring at 107, who glared back. The music faded out.

"Alright, the gloves are officially off..." 107 closed his eyes for a moment.

His eyes snapped open, a line of green running up his face from his left eye and down his face from his right.

 **"You Dirty Traitor..."**

* * *

 **Alright, now I know I disappeared for another three weeks, but I think I came back with something hopefully worth the wait.  
**

 **... I've apologized for this a few times over, but it all seems kinda hollow, huh?**

 **Truth is, I'm still not done with Doubletale, and I kinda forgot about the extra ark I'm doing for it. But rest assured, this story has not been forgotten. And I am certainly feeling a lot more up to typing the next chapter.**

 **So, plot twist of the century, 107 is actually strong enough to go toe to toe with God Eater. Who knew?**

 **(I f#ckin' diiiiiiiid.)**

 **Well, maybe strong enough is the wrong word. I think his powers are just so dickish that they make him a pretty difficult opponent to just about anyone.**

 **So please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	73. Chapter 72: Wolf (Part 2)

**Thanks go to Guest, KillJoyGem, Kagehime-sama53, Lover Of Anime 1, pokemon122000, Guest, Guest, Guest, Eccentric MentoR, EL17Shough, Guest, cunningsuperior1, Guest, Guest, and Guest.**

 **And I'm finally back.**

 **... Uh...**

 **Blame SirViper, they delayed it!**

 **Nothing like throwin' people under the bus on this story's 1 year anniversary.**

 **...**

 **I'm kidding, it's not entirely Viper's fault this took so long. It's also my fault for being a lazy sack of sh!t and almost screwing up this chapter.**

 **But you guys probably don't care, right?**

 **On to the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

A wave of energy burst out around Howlite, knocking away the blasts from multiple Blasters.

 _Power Of NEO (Ikarus Remix)_ by _BlastProcessed_ began playing.

Howlite shot forward off of the ground, pulling back one fist as he swung at 107, who ducked, looking up at Howlite with a dark glare, Howlite suddenly appearing in the middle of the sky.

He held out two palms, sending blasts that easily over powered the blasts of the two Blasters firing at him, obliterating them.

"You're gonna have to try a little harder than that!" Howlite said, looking around.

"Blasters were merely a distraction, my dear savage."

Howlite looked up, eyes widening as 107 slammed knee first into his face.

In a flash the two were exploding into the ground, having moved faster than the average eye could perceive.

Earth exploded out around them, cracks spreading through the ground outside the crater.

107 grabbed Howlite by the collar, pulling him up and pulling back one fist, which burned with a green fire.

Howlite caught the fist as it came down, gritting his teeth as his hand burned.

The two glared into each others eyes, a green fire coming from 107's left as Howlite opened his mouth, white energy charging in his throat.

Howlite fired, and the blast seemed to disappear as it hit the air just before 107's face.

As the blast came to a stop, it seemed to fire from the ground under Howlite, ramming into his back as 107 disappeared.

Howlite was thrown high into the air by his own attack, rocketing towards the atmosphere.

He suddenly stopped in green, eyes widening as the blast tried to push him past the invisible force, eventually dying down.

"It was a good try if nothing else." 107 said, and Howlite glared at him, looking at him upside down as 107 floated behind him.

"Bye now." 107 threw his hand down, and Howlite rocketed down towards the ground.

107 watched from high in the air as he collided with the ground, which exploded out around the entire area, tidal waves of dirt flying across the ground as it seemed the entire first layer of ground had been torn apart from everything within a mile radius.

"Well we're officially on the C horizon." 107 said as he landed on the weathered rock left from Howlite's collision with the earth.

"Are you sure you don't want to give up? Trust me when I say getting slammed against bed rock is going to hurt." 107 looked to Howlite as he sat up, glaring at 107.

"... Bed rock is the layer below this one, in case you weren't aware. Guessing you weren't, you aren't the brightest." 107 explained, and Howlite snarled, shooting off the ground at him and swinging, 107 jumping back and barely evading.

107 threw his hand forward, Howlite being thrown back through the air as rocks came up in points from under him, stabbing through his back.

Howlite roared, the rocks exploding to dust as the newly punched holes sealed, dust being blown off of the rocks laying all around.

107 put up an arm to cover his eyes for a moment, and Howlite shot off at him, pulling back one fist.

107's eyes widened as he threw the fist forward, a green wall appearing and stopping it centimeters from his face.

107 jumped back, the wall shattering the moment he was out of range.

Blasters appeared around Howlite, firing and engulfing him in a ball of energy.

A roar slowly reached over that of the blasts, and their power was slowly pushed back by an orb or white.

107's eyes narrowed, and a Blaster appeared behind him, the beam compressing into a thinner form before firing, tearing through Howlite's heart in one quick shot.

Howlite's eyes widened, and he stumbled slightly, another compressed blast firing through his thigh.

Another fired, tearing through one of his lungs.

Another. Both kidneys.

His energy orb disappeared, eyes wide as the other blasts closed in immediately, engulfing him once more.

107 was sweating much more, bags forming under his eyes from exhaustion.

* * *

"So where exactly are we going?" Peridot asked, casting a worried glance over his shoulder at the explosions in the distance.

"The cave of the one who did that to Emerald and Amazonite." Blue Diamond said, not looking back at them as they walked towards the staircase in the distance.

"Whoa whoa, I don't think that's such a good idea." Emerald said.

"Blue Diamond, if she were to get a hold of you, she'd-"

"I am more than aware of her capabilities, Amazonite." Blue Diamond interrupted, eyes narrowed.

"But if she were to get her filthy hands on either Howlite or 107 right now, the consequences would be _much_ more dire."

* * *

Lapis' eyes snapped open, and she slowly looked around her surroundings.

Ship. No one else there. Laying on the floor.

Why was she on the floor?

It hit her like a truck.

"Howlite!" She shot up, looking around.

She quickly ran outside, and he eyes widened as she noticed the light show coming from the leveled war zone in the distance.

"How am I gonna stop that one..?" She wondered to herself, eyes narrowing in thought.

"Lazuli! Come in, Lazuli!"

Lapis pressed the com in her ear.

"Peridot, are you seeing this?! What happened while I was out?"

"Not important." Peridot answered. "Glad to know you're awake, but trust me when I say those two have to fight that out on their own. We'd die over there."

"Wait, if you guys aren't there, then where are you?"

"Sending coordinates now. Get here quickly, something tells me we'll need all hands on deck for this one."

Lapis frowned, watching beams of green and white firing through the air.

"... Alright."

* * *

Howlite fell to his knees, holes torn in his body and skin scorched.

107 brought up one hand, another Blaster appearing behind him and aiming a condensed blast right at Howlite's head, aiming for his gem.

He threw his hand down, and Howlite disappeared, reappearing in front of him and pulling back one knee.

107 ducked quickly, Howlite's leg soaring over his head.

107 jumped up, uppercutting Howlite before pulling back one leg and slamming it into Howlite's chest.

A green burst of energy exploded around them from the force of the kick before Howlite was sent exploding back across the ground.

Howlite skidded across the ground on his back, flipping and smacking his face into the rocks before flipping again.

He landed back first against a large boulder, blood spewing from his mouth as his eyes widened in pain.

107 threw one hand forward, the boulder behind him flying forward and slamming into Howlite, blood spewing out from between the two boulders.

107 breathed heavily for a moment.

That was until white energy exploded out from the rocks, which were blown to pebbles in an instant.

107 wasn't sure if Howlite had regenerated or reformed that quickly, but whatever the case, he was back.

Howlite shot off at 107, who threw his hand into the air, Howlite following suit.

He whipped Howlite to the side, sending him skidding through the rocks before throwing him back into the air, slamming him down just as quickly.

He whipped his arm around at the highest speed he could muster, eventually slamming him down one last time.

"I suggest you stay down." 107 told Howlite, who was busy pushing himself back up.

"That is, unless you wish to see my special attack."

* * *

"Lazurite, get out here!" Blue Diamond called into the cave.

The faint sound of a cane against stone. Getting louder.

"Well, look who decided to stop by." Lazurite's eyes narrowed, a grin creeping across her face.

"Ah, and you brought more food for me." Her fangs were showing as she dropped her cane, old form fading back to the younger form she took after stealing energy from Emerald and Amazonite.

"Preemptive strike!" Peridot called out, quickly blasting at Lazurite.

Lazurite caught the blast in her mouth, absorbing it in an instant.

She looked up to see Emerald coming down from above, pulling back his energy blade.

She caught that in her fangs as well, absorbing it in an instant.

"Balls." Emerald said, eyes wide before Lazurite appeared above him, kicking down into the back of his head and sending him face first into the ground.

Zirconia threw a barrage of ninja stars in an instant, and Lazurite lifted one arm, firing a black wave of energy and engulfing the stars, sending all of them exploding out of her cave.

Zirconia skidded back on both feet and one hand, Blue Diamond landing after jumping back behind her.

"Well this is off to a great start." Peridot said, eyes narrowing as Lazurite stepped from the cave.

The shadows seemed to peel off of her, leaving bat wings and grey skin behind.

Lazurite was bigger than before, eyes glowing red as her fangs protruded from her mouth.

"What. The Hell. Is that?" Emerald said.

"Consider it her Man Eater form." Blue Diamond said.

"What?!" Emerald said frantically, looking over at Blue Diamond.

"Well, you wanted me..." Lazurite grinned, voice somewhat distorted.

"COME AND GET ME!"

* * *

107 dodged around punches, suddenly throwing one hand up from his pocket and whipping Howlite into the air.

He immediately jumped back, Howlite shooting down and slamming one fist into the ground, the rocks around them lifting up from the force.

"Yeah, my special attack." 107 glanced to the side as he jumped back through the air, hands in his pockets.

"If you keep this up, I'll be forced to use it." 107 dodged to the side of a punch, slamming one green encased leg into Howlite's abdomen, multiple snaps being heard.

"So, if you don't wanna see it," 107 grabbed Howlite by the back of his head, shooting forward and slamming him face first into the ground.

"Now would be a good time to die." 107 jumped into the air, pulling back both arms and throwing them down towards Howlite, Blasters appearing behind him and firing condensed blasts through his body.

He landed on his feet, panting slightly as a drop of sweat dripped from his face.

Howlite slowly pushed himself up, glaring over his shoulder at 107.

107 caught a flash of Howlite sitting with those two Gemlings crawling on him, trying to hide a small smile.

His teeth grit.

How could he have been tricked like that?

Howlite fired a blast from his mouth at 107, who opened his left palm to it, a green sphere forming in his palm.

"LYING BASTARD!" 107 called out in rage, the blast firing and cutting right through Howlite's blast, exploding right through the back of Howlite's head.

Howlite flew back, head hanging back as 107 appeared in front of him, ramming one knee into his chest and making him hunch forward.

He kicked upward with the same leg, flinging Howlite into the air.

He appeared at the side, kicking Howlite one way before appearing there, kicking him back.

He kicked Howlite back and forth across the sky, green electricity shooting off of him each time he did.

He appeared above Howlite, kicking down into his back with both feet, sending him exploding into the ground, smashing into bedrock.

107 reached out, grabbing Howlite in green before sending him digging through the rocks around him, moving his arm as quickly as he could.

He threw Howlite into the air, reaching out with his left arm, his energy blade firing out and skewering Howlite.

His hand clenched into a fist, and his blade exploded out in different directions from inside Howlite, sending blood flying through the air.

His blade retracted, and he appeared above Howlite, flipping upside down and kicking him on the top of the head, sending him exploding into the ground.

Howlite slowly climbed to his feet, glaring up at 107, who suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Survive THIS," 107 slammed two fingers into pressure point after pressure point, throwing Howlite back through the air and following to continue the assault.

"And I'll show you my special attack!" He slammed two fingers into the center of his chest, sending him flying back through the air.

he appeared behind him, kicking him high into the air before appearing above him.

107 pulled back his fist, slamming it directly into Howlite's face, sending him flying back towards the ground with a sonic boom.

He reached out, stopping Howlite in green so abruptly that several bones were heard snapping from whiplash.

He sent one blunt stone down into his chest, sending him exploding into the ground.

Blasters appeared in a circle around Howlite, firing and making him run in a circle to avoid the blasts.

Howlite jumped from the circle, pulling back one fist to punch 107 with before being caught in green.

107's left eye burned with green fire as he threw Howlite into anything and everything he could, bringing up sharp rocks and rubble of any kind for him to run into.

107 breathed heavily, his slams slowly coming to a stop, his arm growing weak.

Hunching slightly as his sweat dropped to the ground below him, 107 slowly let Howlite go from his grasp.

"Alright..." 107 took a deep breath. "That's it. Time for my special attack."

"Here goes nothing."

There was a moment of silence.

Howlite almost looked somewhat confused.

"That's right. It's literally nothing." 107 smirked lightly, right eye winced shut.

"And it's not gonna be anything, either." 107 said, and Howlite tried to step forward, hitting an invisible wall.

"What the?" Howlite pressed on all of the air around him, boxed in by an invisible wall.

"Understand?" 107 asked, arching a brow at Howlite.

"I know your type." 107 closed his eyes for a moment. "Not gonna stop until someone steps in..."

"You're always going to be hunting for power. There's nothing you can do to change it." 107 said, eyes narrowing.

"But I also know your Gem can't keep you in that state forever." A grin tugged at 107's lips.

"Soon enough, you'll grow unstable and fall apart in there. And if you power down I'll kill you immediately." 107 looked to the side, grinning.

"I don't care if we have to stand here until the end of time." 107 said, pupils disappearing in the green glow of his eyes.

"Capiche?" 107 said, pronouncing it Cap-e-chay.

Howlite grit his teeth, pulling back one fist and slamming it into the wall.

With a ping, the force was shot back at him, slamming into his chest and making him cough blood.

"Don't bother struggling. Just give up." 107 told him.

Howlite pounded on the walls a few more times before finally learning his lesson.

107's eyes felt heavier and heavier every passing second.

Sure, he had plenty of energy from that cell, but his mind and gem were exhausted from the constant output.

They closed for a moment, but When Howlite tried to break free from the weakened wall, 107 was jolted awake.

"Not happening." 107 told Howlite, glaring for a moment.

Another long period of silence. 107's eyes felt heavy once more.

 _Damn it... If I could just rest for a few minutes, I would be able to keep this up until he dies. But... As of right now, I fear I may succumb to exhaustion..._

 ** _Howlite, we can't stay like this forever._** The World Eater informed Howlite, who was gritting his teeth, beginning to feel his Gem throb in pain. **  
**

_Oh? Oh really? Here I was under the impression I could do this all f#ckin' day!_ Howlite snapped at the World Eater.

 ** _..._**

 _... Look, I'm sorry. If we just wait a little longer, he'll fall asleep. Just look at him.  
_

107 was slouched, eyes barely open at all.

 _Just be patient..._

107's eyes opened wide once or twice before falling again.

 _Maybe just... A moments rest..._ 107's eyes closed, and he slumped over further.

Howlite waited for another moment or two, hearing faint snoring after another minute.

He skeptically stepped forward, not hitting a wall.

He walked slowly to 107, pulling back one fist.

He threw the punch, and 107's eyes snapped open just in time for him to jump to the side.

"Hm. Did you honestly think that-" 107 was cut off, Howlite slashing at him with his other hand and cutting right up from his left side to his right shoulder, tearing through bone and organ alike.

107's eyes widened, pupils shrinking in pain.

He hit the ground, landing on his bottom and holding his wound.

With a shaky hand he brought up a handful of blood, staring at it for a moment as blood seeped from from his mouth, his vision fading in and out.

He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again.

"So... That's it, hm..?" 107 said, looking up to Howlite, who loomed over him, powering back down to his normal form.

"Well... Burn in hell... Or something." 107 stood slowly, coughing blood into his hand and looking to Howlite.

They stood at eye level. Both staring at one another with an icy, unfeeling expression.

The only difference would be the blood running down 107's chin and the clear pain on his face as he winced his right eye shut.

"Well... I'm gonna go find a nice patch of grass to die on... Fell free to come by and eat my Gem later..." 107 turned around, holding his wound as he limped away, panting.

Howlite grit his teeth in anger, opening one palm to 107 as he walked away.

"What, you think I'm just gonna let you walk away?!" Howlite snapped, a beam of white firing from his palm.

107 sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.

The blast broke apart before it reached 107, a green aura exploding out around him as he held his wound.

"You're uh... You're very determined, aren't you?" 107 turned to face Howlite, still holding his wound as blood dripped down his chin.

"Big mistake, Howlite." 107 grinned, green energy tentacles coming out of his back. Howlite took a step back, eyes widening in fear.

 _What the hell is he?!_

"You know, if I'd ever foresaw this happening, I would've just started with this." 107 closed his eyes, green beams of energy glowing on the ends of each tentacle.

Howlite jumped back, beams firing and exploding through the ground, exploding the moment they hit the ground.

Howlite was mid flying back through the air as 107 appeared in front of him, holding out his fingers an inch from Howlite's chest. Howlite's eyes widened in shock and fear as 107 appeared there.

107 suddenly clenched his hand into a fist, one inch punching Howlite directly in the chest. Everything moved in slow motion as a green hue slowly moved out from them.

107's teeth grit, pupils shrunk as his face contorted in rage, blood spewing through his gritting teeth and out from his nose, tear in his abdomen growing as his eyes became bloodshot.

A shock wave of green exploded out around them, firing over the land and sending stones flying through the air, disintegrating the stones as they flew.

Howlite fired back through the air and shot through the earth, which exploded out around him, bedrock being torn up and exploding through the air, Howlite digging deeper and deeper down into it from the force of that one hit.

Lava leaked up through the cracks in the stone surrounding Howlite as he lay limp at the end of the slowly descending line crater.

Howlite's eyes opened weakly, and he looked up to see 107 standing at the top of the crater, all of his tentacles aiming down at him, blasts of green charging on the ends of each of them.

107 suddenly coughed blood, placing one hand over his mouth as he fell to his knees, eyes clenching shut tight as he grew pale.

His tentacles fell, disappearing.

107 covered his mouth with both hands, blood running from his wound as he leaned forward, panting heavily as blood ran through his fingers and he rested his forehead on the ground in front of him, cold sweat running down him.

After a few minutes of breathing, 107 placed both hands on the ground, panting heavily as he pushed himself back up.

He once again placed a hand over his wound, slouching slightly as he stared down at Howlite for a moment.

He turned around, taking a deep breath. Another attack, whether receiving or giving, and he would poof.

But he couldn't afford to leave his Gem laying around where Howlite could smash it.

He stopped, Howlite staring up at him as 107 grit his teeth, back facing him.

107 looked over his shoulder at Howlite, left eye burning green with hatred.

He said nothing, looking forward once more and continuing to limp away.

* * *

Lazurite slashed away stars thrown by Zirconia, wings flapping her into the air over one of Peridot's blasts.

Amazonite jumped up behind her and pulled up both clubs, swinging them down and snapping them against Lazurite's back.

Lazurite grinned over her shoulder at Amazonite, who's eyes widened.

In one swift movement she had buried her foot into Amazonite's abdomen, blood spewing from the large fusion's mouth.

Emerald grabbed Amazonite with his energy blade as she flew back through the air, being dragged back with her.

Blue Diamond appeared behind Lazurite, pulling back one fist and swinging.

Lazurite ducked under the punch, claws appearing as she quickly spun around, slashing at Blue Diamond, who just barely dodged, her side being scraped.

She snapped her jaws at Blue Diamond, who jumped back as she did so.

Lazurite spun around, slashing Emerald's energy blade to the side as it stretched to attack her, shooting forward and pulling back her claw.

Lazurite was blasted aside, exploding across the ground.

Peridot blew smoke from her cannon, smirking.

Lazurite pushed herself to her feet, Zirconia spinning down and kicking at her.

Lazurite jumped back, Zirconia's heel slamming into the ground before she shot off after Lazurite, throwing multiple jabs.

Lazurite ducked and dodged around them each, pulling her wings back and stabbing at Zirconia, who danced around the stabs, spinning behind Lazurite.

She summoned two kunai this time around, stabbing at Lazurite's back.

Lazurite's wings blocked the blades, which bounced off as if Zirconia tried to stab a steal beam.

Zirconia's eyes widened as she looked from her kunai back to Lazurite, who smacked her aside with one wing, sending her exploding across the ground.

She groaned, laying there in pain as her weapons disappeared.

Peridot took aim, cannon glowing a bright green before she fired a wave of green power, Lazurite flying into the air and staying just above the beam.

* * *

"This whole thing is gonna cause a lot of trouble..." Howlite muttered, crutching back towards the cave.

He held his chest, which seemed to have healed itself, probably via Howltie eating some poor animal. Granted, Howlite was still looking incredibly damaged.

He looked up, eyes widening as a green beam shot through the air.

His eyes widened.

"Lazurite!" He broke into a sprint.

* * *

Lazurite spun, shooting down at Peridot at lightning speed and slamming both feet into her chest, making her cough blood before exploding back into the ground, forming a crater instantly.

She grabbed Peridot by the collar and pulled her up, Peridot glaring at her weakly.

Lazurite bared her fangs, wing blocking Emerald's blade.

Her other wing blocked a blast from Blue Diamond.

Peridot's eyes widened as it felt her life was being sucked out of her, Lazurite sinking her teeth into her throat.

Lazurite's eyes widened as she was suddenly grabbed by Amazonite, who quickly pulled her off of Peridot, suplexing her!

The ground under her exploded from the force, Amazonite jumping out of the smoke and holding her clubs ready.

Lazurite suddenly shot by, slashing with one claw.

Blood flew through the air as she passed by Amazonite, who's eyes were wide in pain.

"Amazonite!" Emerald exclaimed, watching her plummet towards the earth.

Lazurite licked blood from her claw before looking somewhat confused at the blue light illuminating the night.

"Eat this you old bat!" Blue Diamond exclaimed, firing a gigantic wave of blue energy from one palm at Lazurite, who's eyes widened in surprise.

She placed two palms on the beam, being pushed back through the air and to the ground, sliding back across it.

Her feet dug through the earth, and she grit her teeth as she held back the blast.

 _I've got her now!_ Thought Blue Diamond. _If she tries to start eating the blast, it will engulf her. And she can't keep holding it back forever._

Blue Diamond's eyes widened, a white fist slamming into the side of her face and sending her exploding back across the air, slamming into it and skidding across it.

Lazurite's eyes widened as the force let up, and she quickly bit into the blast, absorbing it.

"Huh..?" Blue Diamond rubbed her cheek, looking up at Howlite, who landed in front of her.

"Howlite? What are you-"

Howlite slammed one foot into her chest, driving her further into the ground.

"Doing here?" Howlite finished her sentence. "Well, that robot wasn't enough to finish me off."

"..." Emerald's eyes widened.

"Howlite... _What did you do to 107_?" Emerald asked, a green glow appearing in his eyes.

"Left him for later." Howlite said. "But why should you care, traitor?"

"What are you-"

"Don't play dumb with me!" Howlite snapped.

"It's obvious! You all just used me! Just like everyone else!" Howlite grit his teeth. "And now that I've fulfilled my purpose, you all tried to get rid of me."

"Howlite, that's not-"

"But you made one mistake." Howlite cut Peridot off.

"You didn't think I could kill you!" Howlite snapped, a white energy exploding out around him.

Peridot charged a Giga Beam, taking aim on Howlite's back as he charged.

"We don't have time for this!" She fired, the beam racing towards Howlite's back.

Howlite looked over his shoulder, eyes widening.

"MOVE!"

Howlite winced as he was pushed to the ground, a blue figure in the way.

Lapis smiled at Howlite just as the beam was about to ram into her back gem.

Howlite watched in surprise as another blue being appeared behind her, taking the blast to the back.

Lapis looked over her shoulder in surprise, watching Blue Diamond's eyes go wide in pain, pupils shrinking.

Lapis caught Blue Diamond, eyes wide in surprise as she fell forward.

"W-... What..?" Howlite asked, eyes wide from the ground.

"Howlite... I'm sorry, okay..?" Blue Diamond said.

"I had reasons for what I did... Poor reasons, but reasons... Howlite, I know a lot of what is going to happen. If it wasn't for what I did to you, you wouldn't be here now. It hurt every step of the way. I learned a lot about the kind of person I was all that time I spent making your life... Well, horrible..." Blue Diamond glanced to the side.

"Howlite, I really do care about you. I... I'm sorry that I made you the way you are, but this is the only way you can be here... I had to make you a monster so you could be a hero."

"Hmph." Lazurite crossed her arms. "What a bunch of garbage. She's just trying to stop you from destroying her, Howlite. Finish this." Lazurite said, standing behind Howlite, who looked silently at Blue Diamond as Lapis set her down.

"... It was you." He said, hair covering his eyes.

"... What?"

"You attacked Emerald and Amazonite. You made 107 think it was me. You've been trying to manipulate me from the beginning." Howlite grit his teeth.

"What on earth would make you think that?" Lazurite asked. "I'm the only one here trying to help you!"

"You know, if it hadn't been for Lapis, I might have believed that. Blue Diamond had all of this in context when she jumped in the way, but Lapis just did it. And Lapis did it because we were friends. Because she'd never betray me."

"Oh come on Howlite." Lazurite rolled her eyes. "You know how bad the hunger can be. After all these years, don't you think anyone would have jumped at the chance those two gave?"

"You and I both know it's controllable! If it wasn't you would've devoured me the moment I showed up. Or, you would have tried, anyway." Howlite's eyes narrowed.

"Well so what? It's not like I killed them!"

"But you would have!"

"I didn't know they were your friends!"

"That's not the point!"

"Well what about them?" Lazurite gestured to the other Gems.

"They saw you being attacked by that... Whatever that was, and they didn't even intervene!"

"Neither did you!"

"Because they stopped me!"

"Inaccurate." Peridot said, lifting one finger in protest.

"SHUT UP!" They both snapped at Peridot, looking over at her and glaring before going back to their argument.

"Look, your friends could have helped you, but instead they jumped at the chance to kill me!"

Howlite looked to be thinking, glancing from side to side as he looked down.

"Howlite, I would never try to hurt you." Lazurite stepped closer, Howlite taking a step back as she powered down, looking significantly younger.

She no longer hunched, her hair losing its grey as her wrinkles had disappeared.

"I only wish to help you, and I trust you more than they do." Lazurite shot a glare at the other Gems.

"No other Gem could ever understand us, Howlite. We are two of a kind, two sides of the same coin."

"They will always look at you like a monster." Lazurite stopped before Howlite. "They will always fear you, they will never trust you."

"I know that you know that, so I know you won't kill me." Lazurite held her arms out to the side, leaving herself open.

"..." Howlite's hand clenched into a fist, shaking.

"What are you doing, Howlite?" Lapis asked, concern clear on her face.

"Take her out!" Amazonite said.

"Ah crap..." Emerald said, quickly realizing what was most likely to happen.

"Howlite, come on, we'd never betray you!"

"Look back on all your good times with us, you know we're friends!"

Howlite grabbed his head, teeth gritting as he let out a low growl.

Gritting his teeth, he snarled, Lazurite taking a step back.

"I can't deal with this right now!" Howlite said, pushing past Lazurite and storming off.

Lazurite and the Crystal Gems all exchanged worried glances.

* * *

"Never ending stream of ridiculous bullshi!t..." Howlite grumbled as he stomped through the mountainous area, teeth gritting.

He stopped as he reached a peak, eyes narrowing.

Across from his peak stood another being, cloaked in white.

She stood there, wind blowing at her cloak as she stared at Howlite, expression blank.

Howlite stared back, eyes glowing white as the wind blew at his hair, his expression blank as well.

Her eyes glowed white in return from under that cloak hood.

Neither of them said a thing, neither of them moved.

Her standing tall, Howlite leaned back slightly with his hands in his pockets.

The moon hung in the air between them.

Her blank expression moved to a smirk, and she closed her eyes, as if accepting something.

Howlite frowned, his eyes narrowing.

She turned around, giving a wave that was closer to a dismissive gesture.

She disappeared, and Howlite sighed, looking over at the full moon floating in the sky behind him.

* * *

"Mission Report: Failure."

"Ungodly failure..." 107 ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head.

"The fusion experiment known as Howlite has gone AWAL due almost entirely to an... Irrational decision." 107 glanced to the side, frowning.

"Hm... I'm not usually too prone to those. I almost wish I could find a way to blame this on 127." 107 smirked lightly, glancing over at Emerald, who sat at the control center.

"I heard that! Real funny." Emerald glared over his shoulder at 107.

"Heh... I thought some comedy would lighten things up, but I suppose that's not my forte either." 107's smirk returned to a frown, and he looked down once more.

"We have recruited a zirconia, but she is no replacement for one of our strongest Gems." A comparison of the two was shown, Zirconia standing next to Howlite while holding her ninja stars as Howlite wore his metal maw, grinning.

"I have... Unintentionally damaged the gems more than half of their enemies have." A grin split between Eclipse, Lignite, Bloodstone, and 107. They went together surprisingly well.

"And in doing that, I have also damaged my standing with some of the other Crystal Gems." An outline of 107 standing away from an outline of the other Gems, who all glanced at 107 over their shoulders, glaring.

"... Lapis won't even look at me..." 107 reached out to Lapis, and she smacked his hand away, turning around and walking away.

"I feel that the peridot is... Somewhat afraid of me now. I understand, I certainly showed a side of myself that I... That I do not care for." Peridot nervously glanced at 107 out of the corner of her eye as they both sat at the control center.

"At least the zirconia has shown nothing but understanding." Zirconia and 107 sat on a bench in the ship, Zirconia patting 107 on the back as he hunched slightly, frowning.

"... to a nearly patronizing extent." 107 frowned deeper as she hugged him, rocking back and forth.

"But I suppose it is... Nice having something to brighten up the darkness."

"... 127, don't tell her I said that. She won't shut up about it, I guarantee."

"As I was saying, the Gem formerly regarded as a Gem Matriarch, Blue Diamond, has also shown up uninvited to this mission. I'm still not entirely sure how she got here, but she's here now, and something tells me I won't be getting rid of her." A flashback to 107 and Blue Diamond speaking outside Zirconia's room.

"She is in recovery from our last battle with another Gem. Another attempt of hers at making a corruption Gem, from what I can gather. She is a lazurite, I believe." A flashback to Man Eater Lazurite colliding with Blue Diamond.

"She assaulted 127 and Amazonite. This lead to my... Irrational assault of Howlite." A flash back to 107 grinning, mouthing the words 'Not even Bloodstone would have a hope of beating me.' Before Howlite appeared in the middle of the sky, being impaled.

"From what I've gathered, she intends on teaching Howlite on how to release his inner beast and reach some sort of new power." A flash back to 107 dodging around God Eater Howlite's fists.

"In Howlite's current state, it would be... Not good for her to reach Howlite first." Howlite sat on a boulder, eyes narrowed as Lazurite stepped from the shadows behind him, worry clear on her face.

"But we have no idea where he could be on this large planet." Peridot said something into her com as she looked over a mountain from the top, shaking her head as Lapis flew over head, also shaking her head.

"And searching is difficult, as Lazurite is still lurking in the shadows." 107 looked around the rubble of his battle with Howlite, eyes narrowed as lines of green suddenly ran down from his left eye and up from his right as he spotted Lazurite, who looked surprised, quickly disappearing.

"If I could just find her, I would curb stomp her for what she's caused." 107's hand clenched into a fist as Lazurite escaped.

"I have decided to hunt for Howlite on my own. The others cannot know about this, they no longer trust me." 107 said after Emerald left the room.

"And I am the only one strong enough to take on Lazurite or Howlite should I encounter them." A flashback to The World Eater's blast being deflected high into the air as 107 stood calm, deflecting the blast without moving a muscle.

"Or... At least strong enough to hold them off until everyone else arrives." A flashback to 107's chest being torn open, blood flying through the air as his pupils shrunk in pain, Howlite landing one slash.

"This is 107, signing off." 107 clicked a button on his screen, stopping the recording and sending it.

He stood, walking to the door. He sighed as he opened it.

 **"The things I get myself into..."  
**

* * *

 **The plot thickens!  
**

 **Man, has it been a year already? Doesn't feel like it. Probably because I thought I'd be done with this by now, lol.**

 **And because I've really fell off with updating this since I got into Doubletale.**

 **Whoops.**

 **But yeah, last year today I started typing this story. No successful stories under my belt, no hope for this one. But you guys made it happen.**

 **Back then, I didn't have any plan past chapter three, and when I read back on the earlier chapters, it's almost a little cringy to me how my writing was back then. But that's probably how it is for every writer, artist, musician, etc. Anyone who makes sh!t looks back at the other stuff they've made earlier and go "Eeeeeew."**

 **To be honest, I don't know why any of you decided to read this story. I look over it and I feel like I'm just dragging people along with ships and good fight scenes. Maybe that's why I focus on Doubletale so much more, I don't feel like I used cheap tricks to get those reviewers.**

 **But that's just be not believing in myself. I mean, this is the second most reviewed story in all of the SU fanfiction archive, and it's not far from first. And the story's far from over, so if I manage to keep you guys here, I might just take number one.**

 **I'm sorry for kind of half abandoning this fic, but you know I'd never just drop it. I love this story too much, and I love the characters too much. And I care about you guys too much.**

 **And I mean I've made it this far, might as well play it out.**

 **Heh... To think, this time last year I was down on my luck, felt like a failure of an author, and didn't think I'd ever do make anything successful. I spit balled an idea for like a day and pushed out a chapter that was maybe 2,000 words long. Now I'm pushing out chapters that are 5,000 to 7,500 words.**

 **I started with one OC and now I've got an entire cast of them. And honestly I don't really know what to do with the one OC I started with.**

 **Okay, maybe it has been a year.**

 **And now it's summer again. Meaning it'll be easier to juggle two stories, and who knows? Maybe I'll update faster if I get more reviews faster.**

 **I'm shootin' for the top.**

 **Not typical me, and I'm sure I'll fly too close to the sun soon enough.**

 **But hey, might as well ride this out 'till the end, right?**

 **Man... First it was Matrix and the other Homeworld Gems, then Eclipse and co., then Lignite and Eclipse's co., then Bloodstone, now Lazurite.**

 **Soon enough it'll be Yellow Diamond.**

 **We're moving towards the end of the filler arc, and I'd honestly like to finish this up by the end of the Summer. That doesn't mean there aren't many chapters left, that means I'll have to update faster.**

 **But with two stories...**

 **Eh, I'll give it a shot.**

 **Man, this has been long winded.**

 **In short, thank you so much for a year of actually enjoying my life. Or, at least the time I spent on this laptop typing and seeing reviews. I'm typing this at 5:00 AM while listening to _How Far We've Come_ by _Matchbox20_ , so that's why this might be a little sappy. **

**I read like the first couple pages of reviews from the very beginning of the story, and something that makes me kind of sad is that I'm not sure how many people still read the story from back than. My first couple reviews were from FanficLovingPerson, and then I killed off Jasper so they stopped reading. Or, stopped reviewing, anyway.**

 **The first review to ever bring up the Matridot ship was from 20Last-Sparkle01, The Imprisoned of Hell gave me a character that shaped an entire ark!**

 **And Kagehime-sama53 has been reviewing every chapter since like the late twenty chapters!**

 **And TennisCat reviewing in all capitals with more hype than I'd ever seen for anything.**

 **QChronicles you referred to a chapter as a 'chappy' once, and that still haunts me. And Ange507090 called it a chappie. Holy hey-zues.**

 **and Glitter Spires and Cfintimidator and Jak Fortune and Markyboy and Hollyberry of Skyclan and cynicaltea and Howlite and 50 shades of orang gem and Fade-Like-We-Never-Existed and I could sit here naming names all day, but you get the jest.**

 **I got so many reviews saying that this story was even better than the show or the best fic they'd ever read and it still means so much to me.**

 **You guys are amazing.**

 **I would cry if that was something I did.**

 **And Jesus, you guys really like Matridot, huh? I really gotta make more a that...**

 **That's not a promise.**

 **And man, so many people said something about Gems not bleeding. They blush, which requires blood. and in Pearl's fight with Sugilite, you see blood in her scrapes. Gems bleed. Blow me.**

 **I typed this at like 5:00 AM. Hush.**

 **I hope you guys know how much this all means to me, and I think after looking over all this, I will be updating faster. I feel like I abandoned you guys for awhile there.**

 **You see, the reason that I didn't update for awhile there is because I needed to change something in the chapter, and I really didn't wanna deal with doing it. I almost did something too early, two things actually. But now I think I've got the timing figured out.**

 **And as much as I wanna update quickly, I know I'm gonna be really bored when typing next chapter. It's gonna be a lot more calm than this one was. But I'll try my best.**

 **See you soon with another chapter. (I think.)**

 **Please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


	74. Chapter 73: Decisions

**Thanks go to Guest, KillJoyGem, pokemon122000, The Pied Piper's Assistant, Kagehime-sama53, cunningsuperior, Lover Of Anime 1, and S U Fan.**

 **Heh. Told you I'd be back faster this time.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe  
**

* * *

"Go. Away."

Lazurite stopped as Howlite grit his teeth, back facing her.

"Howlite..."

"GO. AWAY."

"Howlite, I know how you're feeling. You're scared, confused. I've felt that way. I've been in your shoes."

"Yeah, I get it!" Howlite snapped, Lazurite's hand retracting as she reached out to him.

"You understand me so perfectly! We're exactly the same! Yap yap yap!" Howlite slammed one fist down on the rock he sat on, sending cracks through it.

"Just because we both have to deal with that thing _DOES NOT_ make us the same person, got that?!" Howlite stood, spinning around to face her.

"You have no idea who I am, and you have no idea what I've gone through! So you shut your mouth before I **EAT. YOU. ALIVE**." Howlite snarled.

"..." Lazurite's hair covered her eyes, hands clenching into fists.

"Howlite, I've been betrayed. I've been in this situation to almost an exact. They aren't your friends Howlite, they're just using you." Lazurite said, taking a step closer to Howlite.

"And when they're done with you, they'll leave you alone... Sitting on a planet with nothing but your loneliness and the growls of your stomach to keep you company."

"Howlite, everyone will always be afraid of you because they don't understand you. But I do. I know what you're going through. Please," Lazurite placed a hand on Howlite's shoulder.

"Let me help you." Kindness was in her eyes.

"..." Howlite sat back down, resting his head in his hands.

Lazurite sat down next to him, putting an arm around him comfortingly.

"... Let's just... Get back to training."

* * *

1 Week later.

"107, come in 107!"

107 bubbled his com, sending it back to his room in the ship.

A dumb move?

Probably.

He pushed past a tree, frowning as what seemed to be a large tusked bear snarled at him.

The bear shot back through the trees, exploding across the land and into the pond about a mile away.

"I don't have time for this." 107 said, eyes narrowing.

* * *

"He's still not responding." Emerald said, and Lapis grit her teeth.

"Great. The nutcase is probably still out there hunting Howlite." Lapis rolled her eyes.

"Well I'm not looking for him." Peridot said, rubbing one arm.

"And Blue Diamond is still out of commission..." Amazonite added.

"I'll find him!" Zirconia smiled, cartwheeling into the conversation.

"And why do _you_ wanna find him so bad?" Emerald arched a brow at her.

"In this week that we've been looking for Howlite after that fight, all 107's done is frown!" Zirconia said, crossing her arms in a pout. "I need to find him so I can cheer him up!"

"Uh, no offense Zirconia, but I'm pretty sure you're the one who usually makes him frown." Amazonite commented.

"Nonsense!"

* * *

107 pulled the lab coat he'd reformed with closer, a cold wind blowing as the moon was the only light now.

His gem glowed, illuminating the cave as he stepped into it.

He had his other hand in his lab coat pocket as he walked through Lazurite's home, eyes narrowed.

His footsteps echoed through the empty air, bouncing off the walls and reaching down the cave.

Sigh.

Still uninhabited.

107 pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing tiredly.

He disappeared from the inside of the cave, appearing on the top of it and looking around, both hands now in his pockets.

107 sighed, sitting down on top of the cave and placing a hand on his head.

* * *

 _"This could be a good place for rest..." 107 said as he lifted a boulder out of the way, setting it down next to the small cave entrance.  
_

 _He walked into the cave, slightly hunched._

 _His eyes narrowed slightly as he spotted a light at the end of the cave._

 _"No, no! Get off of me!"_

 _107 picked up the pace at the sound of distress, coming to the end of the cave._

 _His eyes widened._

 _"I-I'm serious!" Howlite laughed, attempting to push the gemlings off of him._

 _"..." 107 turned around, smiling lightly as he closed his eyes._

 _This cave was... Inhabited._

* * *

107's frown deepened as he gripped down harder on the right side of his head, a light glow from his left eye illuminating the night in green.

 _"I thought we were friends."  
_

 _"... So did I."  
_

107's eyes clenched shut tight.

* * *

107's eyes narrowed as he walked, the sun rising.

Foot steps. Getting closer.

3\. 2. 1.

They were illuminated in green as they came towards him, stopping immediately.

"Hey, this is kinda cool!"

107 was confused by the words, but quickly recognized the voice.

"Zirconia, what are you doing out here?" 107 looked over his shoulder, seeing Zirconia in a perpetual state of cartwheel.

"Getting nauseous." Zirconia answered almost happily.

107 was beginning to think bringing her down was impossible.

He set her down, and after leaning over and gagging for a moment, she jumped back up.

"I found you!" She smiled.

"Congrats." 107 said, beginning to walk in the other direction, hands in his lab coat pockets.

"Hey, wait up!" Zirconia ran after him, jogging in place next to him as he walked, frowning.

"What do you want?" 107 asked coldly.

"Well the others wanna know where you are. And I knew I could find you." Zirconia smiled.

"And how'd you know that?"

"You give off this vibe." Zirconia said, making a mystical face and waving her arms spookily.

"... Go back to the ship, Zirconia." 107 turned to face Zirconia as he stopped, expression blank.

"Wha- No, 107, I'm gonna help you find Howlite." Zirconia smiled.

"I don't need, nor do I want, your help." 107's eyes narrowed. "Please go back to the ship."

"But-"

"I highly dislike repeating myself." Zirconia wasn't sure if 107's calm made this scarier or not.

"..." She looked down.

107 continued walking away.

"What do you plan on doing?"

"I'm going to apologize, get Howlite back, and mend my relationship with the other Crystal Gems." 107 placed his hands in his pockets, looking up at the sky.

"Uh... Are you sure about that? I mean, you aren't exactly the best with the whole... Showing kindness thing. Or, really um... Showing anything at all?" Zirconia said, as if afraid she'd offend 107.

"... Yes, I suppose that's true. Showing emotion is... Lost on me." 107 glanced to the side.

"Ooh, I know!" Zirconia jumped up. "I'll come with you and be your emotional translator!"

"No."

"Aw come on, please?" Zirconia held her hands together in front of her, begging.

"... You must be really bored, huh?" 107 smirked lightly, his back facing her as he closed his eyes.

"No, I just know that Howlite can be mean, and you two certainly won't be on too good of terms after your whole... Almost killing him thing."

"He almost killed me all the same."

"... I feel like there's more to that then what you're saying."

"Boy oh boy aren't you perceptive." 107 said with minor sarcasm as he continued walking, Zirconia following after.

"So does this mean I'm allowed to help?"

107 shrugged in response.

* * *

"So still no word from 107?" Pearl arched a brow at Garnet.

"No, nothing."

"You don't think something happened to them, do you?" Matrix asked, arching a brow at Garnet.

"I'm sure their fine." Citrine shrugged. "I mean, 107's a pretty tough guy."

"And how do _you_ know that?" Matrix arched a brow at him, eyes narrowing.

"Wait, you guys don't get that... Power feeling from him? Wow, that's weird." Citrine smirked lightly, shrugging as he closed his eyes.

"What do you mean? 'Power feeling'?" Matrix said curiously.

"Well, I got one from you, I got one from that Howlite guy or whatever the hell is in him, I got a serious one from tall dark and glarey back there." Citrine leaned back in his stool, putting his feet up on the counter as he pointed to Hematite, who leaned against the wall in the back of the room, staring at Citrine with narrowed eyes.

Citrine opened his eyes, keeping them narrow as he looked at Hematite, grinning lightly. "Or maybe it's just from the thing on his back..."

"But that one I got from the robot... Well, that was somethin' else." Citrine glanced to the side. "Good thing I'm such a chill guy, otherwise it might've scared me a little." Citrine crossed his arms.

"Honestly, guy would make quick work of just about any buddy in here." Citrine said, sweating somewhat nervously at the thought.

* * *

Lazurite moved her head to the side, Howlite's fist soaring by her head.

Howlite pulled back one leg, kicking at her, only for her to back flip away, thrusting both arms forward and sending a wave of black energy firing at Howlite.

For a moment, Howlite caught a flash of one of 107's blasters firing at him, and his eyes widened it what could have been defined as fear.

Howlite realized it was too late to dodge from his moment of paralysis, throwing his arms up to defend against the blast and being thrown back through the air.

"Howlite, come on! That was an easy one to dodge." Lazurite said, before her eyes widened, seeing Howlite sitting there, eyes wide as memories flashed before him.

"Howlite? Howlite, are you okay?" Lazurite knelt down to Howlite, who just sat there, sweat beginning to form on his brow as he breathed harder and harder.

"Howlite!" Lazurite called, snapping Howlite out of it.

"He... He was still holding back..." Howlite said, staring at the ground with wide eyes.

"What?" Lazurite sat down next to Howlite.

"107... Even in my strongest form... He was still holding back to fight me. He went toe to toe with me and he was holding back!" Howlite slammed his fist down onto the ground, sending cracks through it.

"I only managed to land _one hit_!" Howlite felt something he hadn't felt in a long time in that fight.

Howlite had been afraid.

Howlite had been terrified.

"And after landing that one, life threatening hit, he still knocked me a mile into the ground with _one punch_!" Howlite grabbed his head, eyes wide as he was almost panicking.

"How am I supposed to fight that?!"

"Howlite, calm down!" Lazurite ordered, making Howlite stop his panicking, looking over at her.

"Once our training is finished, you will be strong enough to mop the floor with that poor excuse for a gem." Lazurite smirked reassuringly at Howlite, who smiled lightly in return.

"But... He was so strong..." Howlite was like a scared child.

"You're going to be stronger." Lazurite smiled.

Howlite smiled lightly in response.

* * *

107 walked with his hands in his lab coat pockets, the bottom of his face hidden in the coat as he frowned.

Zirconia skipped next to him, humming lightly.

"Hm..." Zirconia said, breaking the silence that had hung for oh some time now.

"Yes?" 107 looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I was just wondering... how'd you get so strong?" She asked, and the look in her eye made it seem as though she was expected some Disney esc story.

"..."

107 saw a flash of a flaming, rubble filled land scape. Gem shards littered the ground.

He was standing there, blood running from multiple wounds as green energy burned from his left eye.

Across from him stood Yellow Diamond.

107 closed his eyes, getting the image out of his head with a shake of it.

"I... Don't wanna talk about it." 107 said, eyes narrowing.

"Aw, come on ple-" Zirconia reached for 107, but a sudden blast of green bounced her back, making her stumble.

"I said I don't wanna talk about it." 107 said firmly, teeth gritting.

"..." Zirconia rubbed her hand, frowning lightly.

"... Sorry." 107 said, though his tone said he was indifferent.

Zirconia pouted in response.

"... Why are you looking at me like that?" 107 arched a brow at her out of the corner of his eye.

"You're a meanie." Zirconia said, eyes watery as she pouted.

"And you're clearly a toddler." 107 said, looking ahead.

"No I'm not!" Zirconia stomped childishly.

"You're loud like one." 107 said, rubbing his inner ear with one finger after Zirconia's yell.

Zirconia crossed her arms, making a grade A pouty face.

"..." 107 glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before sighing.

He rummaged through his lab coat pocket, frowning as he looked to the side.

Zirconia caught what he tossed to her, arching a brow at it.

"What's this?" Zirconia said, confused.

"There aren't many earth foods I like, but I have grown an affinity for that one. I believe it is called 'candy'." 107 said, placing his hands back in his pockets.

"Hm..." Zirconia put the candy in her mouth, immediately making a grossed out face and spitting it back out into her hands.

It lifted from her hands, the wrapper being taken off of it.

"Try again." 107 said, shaking his head as she took the candy once again, trying it a second time.

107 was confused by the stars that appeared in her eyes.

"Um... Are you okay?" 107 asked, Zirconia beginning to shake, a smile slowly pulling at her lips.

In an instant, she was shooting all through the air around 107.

107 sighed. "Should have thought about the affects of sugar on what was already a ball of energy..."

"That was delicious!" Zirconia said from wherever she was, multiple after images jumping around 107.

"Do you have anymore?"

"Do ya?"

"Do ya?"

"Do ya?"

"DO YA?!"

" ** _Do ya_**?"

" _Do ya~_?"

" **Do ya**?!"

107 ran a hand down his face, sighing.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out another piece.

"Fetch." 107 threw it off into the forest, and she shot off after it, kicking up dust behind her.

107 ran a hand through his hair, sitting down on a log and shaking his head.

He could leave now, while she was distracted.

He could have teleported away at any time anyway, and he could have just teleported her back to the ship.

But...

107 watched Zirconia sit down, head happily moving from left to right as she nibbled at her candy, eyes closed.

... No, he'd have to keep her with him.

He ever so casually pulled out another piece of candy, unwrapping it and popping it into his mouth.

"You ready to keep moving now?" He arched a brow at her, and she nodded, jumping up.

"I take back calling you a meanie."

"Heh... Thought you would."

* * *

"I really think we should just keep looking." 107 said as Zirconia pulled him down.

"You've been looking for a week straight!" She said, forcing 107 to sit next to her on the log.

"You need to rest. You being tired has already made you a grumpy face." Zirconia said.

"Gems do not require sleep." 107 answered easily.

"But they do feel exhaustion." Zirconia smirked, crossing her arms and closing her eyes.

"This is a waste of our time." 107 looked into the fire Zirconia had lit.

"Shh, it's night-night time." Zirconia said, pushing 107's eyelids closed.

107 sighed, deciding to play along and lean back against the stone wall behind him, crossing his arms.

* * *

Chained to a table. the flow of that... Blue liquid.

He tried to move, he struggled all he could but it... It just wasn't enough.

Those wires stuck in his gem. The endless flow of information.

That feeling... That horrible, empty feeling.

he was missing something. What was he missing? What had he forgotten?

Sparks. Fire everywhere.

He couldn't understand. Fear, confusion, and... Something else.

Anger.

But at what? Damn it, why couldn't he figure it out?!

Flashes of green. Screams of terror.

What was he seeing? Why was he seeing this?

Was this real? Was he still in that chair? Was this another craft of his imagination?

What was this? What was he?

Another crash and scream simply with the flick of his wrist.

He was powerful. That's what he was.

Pain? No, that barely registered. They could attack him all they wanted, he just blasted through it.

Pleas for mercy.

Ha! As if they'd heard his.

Wait... Had they?

Had he given any?

It was so hard to think when your mind is consumed by such a blistering fury.

One more.

Why did they feel familiar?

They crawled backwards, slowly trying to get away.

They held out one hand to defend themselves, tears streaming down their face as they shook their head.

They were saying something, but all he could hear were the drills.

... It didn't matter now.

He watched the shadows of the tentacles rise, a green light shining from behind him as their eyes widened, mouth hanging open as streams of tears continued down there face.

A green flash. Nothing but shards now.

Nothing but shards.

* * *

107's eyes snapped open.

"Wee!" Zirconia said, floating around in the air with the rest of the camping area, including 107 and the fire.

107 recoiled in surprise, quickly dropping everything, which landed hard, bouncing and getting everywhere.

The log bounced, the fire scattering ashes everywhere.

"Ow..." Zirconia said, rubbing her head as she sat up.

"Sorry." 107 said as he sat up, blinking a few times.

"No, it's fine. It was fun there for awhile." Zirconia smiled over at 107, who forced a polite smile in return.

Zirconia, seeing how fake the smile was, frowned lightly.

"What's wrong?" She asked, patting her hands lightly on the ground around her as she moved her head from left to right, as if she really couldn't sit still for more than a few moments.

"Nothing, I just... Had a bad dream." 107 glanced to the side.

In an instant, Zirconia was hugging 107, rocking him back and forth and humming something.

107 frowned, slouching slightly as he was held.

Patronizing.

... But the humming was nice.

* * *

Howlite stared at the ceiling of the cave they currently stayed in, Lazurite having gone to do something. Most likely feed on some animal.

Footsteps came towards the cave, and Howlite sat up, arching a brow at the shadow coming closer to the cave entrance.

"Lazurite?" He called out.

"Close."

Howlite's eyes widened at the sound of the voice.

"Uh... Hello." 107 said, stepping into the cave.

Howlite jumped up, stepping back skeptically.

"Wait, Howlite." 107 reached out, and Howlite half expected to be encased in green and sent exploding through the wall of the cave.

"I'm not here to attack you." 107 stepped forward, hand still out in front of him.

"I'm here to apologize." Zirconia looked in through the cave entrance, watching silently.

"I... I acted irrationally, and as a result I tore apart this team. I never wanted to hurt you, but it seemed that you were the only suspect for the assault of Emerald and Amazonite. They are... Very close to me. If something were to happen to them, well... I don't want to think about it."

"No one else betrayed you, just me. The only reason everyone left you alone with me is because... Well, they were afraid of me." 107 looked to the side, eyes narrowing.

"And, of course, they thought you could handle me." 107 closed his eyes.

"Please, come back home with us. Everyone misses you. And they're rather angry with me for doing what I did." 107 reached a hand out for Howlite to take.

Howlite still took a step back, as if afraid.

"... The ship leaves in twenty four hours." 107 said, his hand falling.

"We will wait no longer." He turned around to leave, Zirconia giving him a surprised look.

"Oh, and... Here." 107 tossed Howlite something over his shoulder, and Howlite caught it.

The Looking Gem Howlite had received on Christmas from Lapis.

"I beg you to think it over thoroughly."

Howlite stared into the memories on the stone, 107's footsteps getting further away.

* * *

"Wait, what?" Zirconia said, following after 107. "We find him and then you just... Leave?"

"I can't force Howlite to come back. He has to make that decision on his own. If he truly thinks his friends would betray him, after everything that stone shows him, then he never trusted us. Which is fine, because then there's no point in trusting him."

"But what about everyone else?"

"Our relationships will be damaged for awhile, but time heals all wounds."

Zirconia looked ahead, her eyes widening.

107 simply kept walking, paying Lazurite no mind.

Lazurite was slightly confused by this, keeping her guard up as 107 walked right by.

As he walked by, he stared at her with his left eye, which burned a green fire.

Lazurite almost began sweating under that gaze.

They walked by each other, and 107 closed his eyes, the green fire disappearing before Zirconia could notice.

 _... No, not yet._ 107 thought to himself.

 _Weirdo..._ Lazurite glanced over her shoulder at 107 as he walked by, saying nothing.

"Howlite, I'm back." Lazurite stepped into the cave, looking around.

Howlite payed her no mind, staring at the stone in his hand.

Lapis, Steven, and Pearl hugging Howlite as he offered to hold off Bloodstone on his own.

Lapis kissing him on the cheek before leaving him to fight Bloodstone.

Matrix giving him a thumbs up after defeating Bloodstone as Xenotime. Howlite returned it, smiling.

Everyone throwing snowballs at each other on Christmas.

Emerald and Howlite clanking drinks together on Steven's roof.

Howlite and Steven playing with the Gemlings, Howlite smiling as Steven laughed.

Howlite sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"He's right..." Howlite muttered.

"Um... Howlite?" Lazurite arched a brow at him.

"I... I'm sorry Lazurite but... I have to go. I've got people to go back to and I've got things to do." Howlite stood, walking past Lazurite, who's eyes widened.

"W-what?" She said, shocked. "But- wait!" She ran after Howlite.

"Howlite, they'll betray you!"

"They'd never betray me, Lazurite."

"B-but..." Lazurite seemed afraid of something.

"Y-your training isn't complete! Please, you must stay!" Lazurite grabbed onto Howlite's arm.

"Lazurite, please." Howlite said, pulling his arm from Lazurite's grasp.

"You can come with me, if you want." Howlite offered, and Lazurite grit her teeth, hands clenching into fists.

"Don't you get it?! Nothing stays... They don't-"

"Lazurite, stop." Howlite cut her off. "I get it. You're hurt and afraid of being abandoned again. But I know my friends and they would never leave me behind. They would never betray me."

"... I was wrong."

"Yes, now come on-"

With a burst of black energy, Howlite was thrown back, holding up his arms in an X to defend.

"You are just like the rest..." Lazurite stood there, now in her Man Eater form.

"Lazurite, you don't want to do this." Howlite took a step back, getting into a fighting stance.

"Don't worry Howlite, I won't kill you. I'll just show you how much stronger you need to become." Lazurite's hands clenched into fists, bat wings unfolding.

Howlite snarled, growing into his Man Eater form, glaring at her as he barred his fangs, soon resembling some sort of werewolf as she resembled some sort of vampire creature.

With a snarl and a hiss, the two shot off at one another.

* * *

"Finally back, huh?" Lapis crossed her arms.

107 said nothing to her, walking right by her as if she didn't even exist.

Sometimes ignoring someone was the biggest insult you could give them.

"I apologized to Howlite. In twenty four hours, we are leaving. With or without him." 107 sat down at the Control Center.

"Wait, what? Without him?" Emerald said.

"I cannot drag him back. If he wishes to stay here, that's his own decision." 107 put his feet up on the Control Center, crossing his arms.

Lapis and Emerald looked to Zirconia, who shrugged.

* * *

Fist hit fist, a shock wave blowing the grass back.

Howlite pulled back one leg, kicking at Lazurite, who blocked with one wing.

Howlite jumped back, firing a beam of white from his mouth at her.

Her wings formed a shield in front of her as the blast hit, sending the ground around her exploding back into the cave they once resided in.

When her wings came apart, Howlite shot through the dust, slamming one fist into her face and sending her exploding back through the air.

Howlite fell to four legs, shooting off the ground at Lazurite, who flapped into the air, Howlite shooting through the air where she once was.

Lazurite spread her wings, and a black beam shot from them at Howlite, who fired back with a beam from his mouth.

Black and white collided, mixing together into some sort of yin yang symbol before exploding, throwing both of them away from one another.

Lazurite shot through the clearing dust, slamming both feet into Howlite's chest and slamming him back first into the ground, sending him exploding down through it.

Lazurite stood with a smirk on top of Howlite, who snarled, barking once at her before his tail wrapped around her leg, slamming her back into the ground.

Howlite shot up, pulling back one claw and slamming it down into Lazurite's chest, tearing right through it!

Lazurite hissed, snapping at Howlite with her fangs, only for Howlite to step back and evade.

She flapped back away, eyes glowing red for a moment before Howlite's shadow seemed to move up from behind him, grabbing him and holding him in place.

Lazurite shot forward, pulling back one hand with all of the fingers pointing forward and preparing to pierce Howlite's chest.

In an explosion of white, Lazurite was sent flying back, a loud howl shaking the land as the World Eater now loomed over her, eyes a dark, glowing blue as it leaned down to be eye level with her, letting out a low snarl.

She took a step back, her wings forming a shield in front of her before The World Eater opened its mouth, firing a beam and engulfing Lazurite, sending her exploding back across the ground.

The World Eater watched the dust, letting out a low growl.

The dust suddenly blew away from the area in a shock wave of black.

A giant bat flapped up into the air, blowing dust from the ground and bending trees with the force of the flap.

The World Eater glared up at Lazurite, who floated in air, glaring back down.

Black energy bats appeared under Lazurite's wings, firing down at Howlite.

White energy wolves formed on Howlite's back, firing off at the bats, tearing through them.

The animals tore one another apart, Howlite suddenly jumping, firing high into the air and snapping his jaws at Lazurite, who flapped back, slashing at him with her clawed feet.

Howlite bit her by the ankles, spinning and whipping Lazurite down into the earth, which exploded out from under her.

She used her wings as a shield once more as another beam of white exploded from Howlite's maw down at her.

An explosion rocked the world, sending dust exploding into the air as the beam stopped.

Lazurite shot from the dust, smashing into Howlite and wrapping her wings around him, sinking her teeth into his throat.

Howlite snapped his jaws together, claws on his paws tearing at Lazurite as she tried to keep hold.

They both smashed into the ground, digging across it and leaving a giant crater, Both of them snapping and slashing at one another.

Howlite slammed one paw into the side of Lazurite's face, sending her exploding across the ground to the side, crashing into the mountain and making rocks fall down it towards her.

As Lazurite tried to get up, Howlite stood, firing a gigantic wave of power from his maw and slamming it directly into her chest, sending her further into the mountain, which crumbled down on top of her.

* * *

"... Do you feel that?" 107 looked over at Emerald, opening one eye to do so.

"Uh... No?" Emerald said, somewhat confused.

"... I have to check on something." 107 stood, walking to the door.

"Uh... 107?"

107 stopped.

"Don't uh... Don't do a bad, okay?"

"... Heh." 107 laughed lightly.

"Yeah, I'll try not to."

* * *

Howlite growled lightly, waiting for something to come from the rubble.

A black flash shot from the stone, slamming into Howlite's chest and tearing right through it, making his eyes widen in pain.

Howlite sunk forward, blood running down his chin and staining his white fur.

He landed face first, Lazurite landing on his head.

She looked much like her normal form, but was more muscular, black lines running down from her eyes and to the sides of her cheeks.

The black lines ran all across her skin, wings curled up on her back. The whites of her eyes were now black, the irises red.

Fangs stuck out from her lips, and she smirked lightly, watching Howlite slowly start to shrink down.

"This is why you should listen to me." She told Howlite, before her eyes widened.

Howlite wasn't shrinking. Howlite was condensing.

The howl shook the earth, cracks shooting across it as a pillar of white shot up from Howlite.

Lazurite snarled, landing and gritting her teeth, a pillar of black shooting up into the sky from her.

Lightning struck all around, clouds gathering as the two shot off at one another, fists colliding and sending a shock wave that destroyed the ground around them.

With a strike of lightning they were colliding again in the sky.

Shock waves rocked the planet, God Eaters colliding again and again.

Howlite slammed his left fist into Lazurite's face, Lazurite ramming her knee into his abdomen and forcing him to hunch over before he snapped forward, sinking his teeth into her abdomen.

She brought her hands together above her, slamming them down on Howlite's back before Howlite grabbed her, throwing her over his shoulder and rocketing down towards the earth.

They exploded into the earth, sending it flying away from them in a tidal wave of ground.

They spiraled up from the crater, punching and kicking one another all the way.

Fist hit face, leg hit side.

Claw to claw, fang to fang.

Two animals tore at one another, both savagely hungry.

As they reached high into the sky, Lazurite slammed both fists down onto Howlite's skull, sending him exploding back into the ground.

She shot down after him feet first, wings curling up and letting her slice down through the air at a lightning speed.

Howlite roared in pain as she hit him, crushing his sternum and sending blood spewing from his mouth, the ground disintegrating around them from the force of the shock wave.

The trees were torn from their place, rocks cracking to pebbles as any animal unlucky enough to be in the area exploded to nothing.

Man, the Crystal Gems had really messed up this planet.

Howlite shrunk down to his normal form, his destroyed chest healing as he did so.

Lazurite shook her head, standing with one foot on his chest.

"Tough love Howlite." She told him as his eyes opened weakly.

"You're... A nutcase..." He told her weakly, barring his fangs.

He couldn't escape. He couldn't go with his friends. They would leave him here. He would be alone again.

Oh god, he was going to be alone again...

Lazurite shook her head, before her head was forced to stop moving.

She opened her eyes, and they widened as she realized she was encased in green.

Lazurite was whipped high into the air, screaming in shock.

"So... Let me get this straight."

Green boots stood at the top of the crater, lab coat almost hitting the ground.

Left hand in the air, glowing green. Green fire burning from his left eye.

"You're the one who nearly killed Emerald and Amazonite, **_correct_**?" 107's eyes widened in rage.

"Not only that!" He whipped Lazurite down, sending her smashing down into the earth.

"But you've also had the gall to undermine me at every turn!" 107 pulled his hand forward, dragging Lazurite towards him at lighting speed.

He pulled back one leg, slamming it directly into Lazurite's chest and sending her exploding up into the sky. All with his hands in his lab coat pockets.

Lazurite's eyes were clenched shut in pain, and she managed to force one open.

She gulped, seeing she was surrounded by green skulls, all of which had a glowing blast in their mouths.

The blasts fired, engulfing her.

She roared, the blasts exploding away from her as a shock wave blew the blasters away from her.

She fired down at 107, pulling back one fist as a black aura coated her.

107 held up one hand, and she stopped dead in an instant, fist inches from 107's smirking face.

"You have made this mission a failure. My very first." 107 frowned before Lazurite was shot back at lightning speed, exploding through the earth.

107 appeared above Lazurite, kicking down into her chest and sending her exploding into the ground.

Lazurite grit her teeth, blood running down her chin as she winced one eye shut, glaring up at 107, who grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.

"And to top it all off!" 107 spun around, whipping Lazurite into the air.

"I made amends, and you tried to stop that as well!" 107 fired off at Lazurite as she was whipped through the air, pulling back one glowing green fist and ramming it directly into her abdomen, his fist shooting out of her back, blood flying through the air.

"In short:" 107 glared into Lazurite's eyes, which were wide in pain as blood dripped from her chin down onto 107's face, as she was above him on his fist.

107 whipped Lazurite off of his fist and down into the earth, which exploded out from under her.

"You're gonna have a bad time." 107 crossed his arms, landing in front of Lazurite, who climbed to her feet, coughing blood onto the dirt.

"D-damn it!" She slammed one fist down onto the ground.

"Conceding already? Good. Makes my job easier." 107 said, watching Lazurite from the top of the crater she was in.

"No, no it's not that..." Lazurite grinned. "I just didn't want to have to resort to this form..."

107's eyes narrowed, Lazurite quickly being lifted up in green.

"Nope, not letting that happen." 107 said, rock spikes appearing around Lazurite.

"Too late." She grinned, a black mist emitting from her and engulfing her.

It faded, and she disappeared.

"What the..?" 107 said, before his eyes widened, Lazurite appearing behind him in a black mist.

107 disappeared as she slashed at him, hands growing claws sharper than before.

She snarled, hunching over as bigger wings shot from her back, her hair disappearing as her skin was taken over by a sickly, leathery flesh. Her eyes had disappeared, and hooks were now at the end of her wings, which had taken the place of her arms.

She roared, now standing at eight feet tall as she looked up at the moon, her body coated in a grey flesh.

She flapped once, shooting up into the air as bats appeared around her, shooting down at 107, who jumped back, a Blaster appearing and firing into the bats, frying some while others moved around it, continuing after 107.

107 reached out, each of the bats glowing in green before he whipped them to the side.

He looked forward, eyes widening as Lazurite was now right there, opening a fanged maw and snapping at him, only for him to disappear.

107 appeared next to Howlite, who looked at him weakly, looking somewhat confused.

"107..?" He asked, and 107 picked him up, throwing him over his shoulder and jumping back, Lazurite crashing into the ground where he once was.

"Okay Howlite, I can't fight that." 107 set Howlite down, Howlite leaning against a boulder and breathing somewhat heavily.

"Wait, what?" Howlite arched a brow at him.

"It moves too quickly and those bats are a nuisance. Not to mention the fact that it using echo location probably means it will be able to find us much easie-"

Lazurite shot through the boulder Howlite leaned on, 107 grabbing Howlite and disappearing, reappearing further away.

"Much easier." 107 repeated. "And I'm pretty sure she can teleport in black mist." 107 frowned.

"But you only fought that thing for like thirty seconds." Howlite's eyes narrowed.

"Which was enough time for me to run the numbers a few times." 107's eyes narrowed as his frown deepened.

"There is one solution to this predicament."

"Teleporting to the ship and getting the hell out of here?"

"No, she'd find us too quickly and damage the ship."

"Get the others help?"

"No, at least two of them would die."

"... I don't like the next option."

"Trust me Howlite, neither do I."

* * *

Lazurite let out high pitched clicks, ears twitching as she walked with both her clawed feet and her clawed wings, moving her head around to catch sound.

She suddenly shot up, a white beam obliterating the ground where she once was.

She was suddenly encased in white, being sent exploding across the ground.

She snarled, watching as they approached.

The moon shun down directly behind them. White skin, green cracks.

Their left eye shifted from glowing white to glowing green.

"My name is Alabaster." He said, snapping as multiple blasters appeared behind him. They resembled wolf skulls instead of their usual skull, charging white beams.

Alabaster grinned.

 **"And these are my Alablasters."  
**

* * *

 **Oh yes. Here comes a showdown between man and beast.  
**

 **And hoowee, sh!t sure did hit the fan quick, didn't it?**

 **Guess I've developed a bad habit a' doing that.**

 **Anyway, please Favorite, Follow, and Review.**

 **XWolf26, out**


End file.
